SNCF railway company does not rule out implementing hydrogen trains in Canfranc in the future

The reopening of the Canfranc international railway line between Zaragoza and Pau has one of its main stumbling blocks in its environmental impact. This is where the bulk of the reluctance expressed during the public inquiry period that began last September in the French region of New Aquitaine lies, both because of the effects that the work would cause in protected areas and because of the use of fossil fuels, although the SNCF company is working on the idea of ​​making the most of the possibilities of an electrified route, adapted to the new times, and is not closed to implementing hydrogen trains in the future.

This is one of the key issues revealed this week following a meeting held at the end of November in the French town of Accous . The country’s main railway company argued that, today, electrification is the most effective option due to the particularities of the terrain. Some points of the French section have gradients of up to 400 metres and would require a power that, in its opinion, has not been proven with the use of hydrogen and even less so with freight trains. They also allude to economic reasons.

SNCF representatives insist that “ this is not a rejection ” of this green option, as they have carried out various experiments in other parts of France, although restricted to light modes and the so-called TER (regional express). In a response to the H2Aspe group, they point out that “the priority ” is “to guarantee the implementation of a functional and reliable project ”, criteria that are met by the initial formula.

If not for trains, hydrogen could be used for other complementary purposes, they say. For example, to power the signalling systems on the route to Pau and at the stations. “It has promising potential, especially in a valley like this, and we will be monitoring it closely because there are synergies to consider,” they say. At the moment, powering the electrification system with new photovoltaic plants is on the table.

It is worth remembering the case of the Franco-Spanish company Dhamma Energy, dedicated to the production of this energy source. In 2020, it put on the table a project to promote the hydrogen train between Zaragoza and Pau, which had the support of the governments of Spain and Aragon. Construction of its new plant in Plascencia del Monte (Huesca) is scheduled to begin in 2025, precisely one of the points through which the international line would pass and which is being subject to improvement works by Adif, although they are progressing late.

Public surveys have revealed the range of actions that SNCF plans to take to minimise damage to the environment. For example, it is committed to planting vegetation at level crossings that can serve to give continuity to the so-called “ green sections ”. The operator has planned various preventive and compensatory actions regarding underground aquifers and will consider, as far as possible, limiting the use of chemical products to prevent leaks. The roadmap establishes special protection for the monumental part of the Somport tunnel and the Sayerce tunnel.

While the work is ongoing, and depending on the final result, new agricultural and livestock roads will be created if necessary. The aim is to preserve the owners’ access to their land. Likewise, the use of trucks on the main roads will be minimised  to avoid more journeys than strictly necessary. Some of these journeys could be made on the roads created after the removal of the old tracks.

Another open front is that of the protected areas along the 85 kilometres that separate Canfranc and Pau. Specifically, according to SNFC in the survey dossier, there are twelve natural areas of ecological interest for fauna and flora, three of special importance for the conservation of birds and a National Park, that of the Pyrenees. We must add a “sensitive” natural area, eight areas of the Natura 2000 Network and up to fourteen areas subject to the French Forest Law. In this regard, the environmental report prepared in 2021 is planned to be updated.

DIRECT CONNECTION ZARAGOZA-ARTIX FOR GOODS

One of the main topics of the meeting, in terms of logistics, came from the Government of New Aquitaine. The leaders of the French region are studying the possibility of creating a logistics platform between Lacq and Artix with a point for the transfer of goods. This is an area with both industrial and railway activity and would have a direct connection with Zaragoza for this type of convoy.

In parallel, Adif has begun the informative study for the connection of the Cantabrian-Mediterranean corridor and Canfranc. The Aragonese capital or the Tardienta area could be enabled as new loading and unloading points, according to the Ministry of Transport.

VOTING ON THE 16TH

On December 16, the public polls will conclude with the vote for or against the project. The presence of the presidents of Aragon and New Aquitaine, Jorge Azcón and Alain Rousset, is expected. This week, the DGA hinted at its optimism regarding the “yes” vote, which would represent a social boost to a strategic initiative, of historical demand and in which progress has been made in recent times with executives of one and another sign, regardless of the instability of the French Government.

The vote of no confidence promoted by Marine Le Pen’s National Front and the left-wing coalition of the New Popular Front, political polar opposites, this week brought down Prime Minister Michel Barnier just three months after taking office. With him, the head of Transport, François Durovray, is up in the air. When President Emmanuel Macron appoints a replacement, four people will have held that ministerial portfolio in a year.