Three major European countries, France, Spain and Portugal, each has high speed train lines. They jointly announced their intention to link their respective networks to allow trains to move from one country to another.
This was announced today by transport companies in these three countries, including SNCF (France), RENFE (Spain) and CP (Portugal). Just like Eurostar or Thalys, the three companies would create a joint venture to serve the market within these three countries.
If all goes according to plan, this project could be completed within 6 years, creating a new era of transportation interconnecting three of the most popular tourist destinations on the Continent.
To succeed in this venture, these countries want to obtain funding from the EU communal budget. The European Union is starting negotiations soon to allocate funds for budgets in effect between 2014 and 2020.
Already, some tracks that will provide a link to Lisbon and Madrid are under construction and are expected to be on line by 2013. The same goes for a line between France and Spain which will link France to Figueras in the northeastern region of Catalonia, Spain. This route could possibly be ready by the end of the year, even though the trains will not be able to travel at high speed across the network.