Remodelled Station Opens In Canfranc Ahead Of Reopening Of Cross-Border Link
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.
This is the introductory paragraph.
On April 15, a RENFE DMU carrying invited guests from Zaragoza became the first train to arrive at the remodelled and relocated station in Canfranc, marking a further step in the long-running plan to reinstate the railway through the Pyrénées mountains linking Pau with Huesca.
I have an ambition to visit Canfranc station, where the Spanish and French railways meet at one of the largest stations in Europe.
- On the French side the Pau-Canfranc Railway is gradually being reopened.
- On the Spanish side there is a railway to Zaragoza, from where there are high speed trains to Barcelona and Madrid.
Both routes appear to be mainly single-track
There would appear to be pressure for reopening the full route In a Section entitled Renovation and Reopening, Wikipedia says this.
In present economic development, the transport route beneath the Aspe peak via the Gave d’Aspe valley is changing from a relatively unknown into a major transport channel. This is not only due to the regional pressure between Bordeaux and Zaragoza (which on the Spanish side alone has a regional population of 1 million people), but also the importance of the international route between Paris and Valencia. These economic pressures – in part driven by the General Motors plant located in Zaragoza – have in recent years resulted in heavy truck and car traffic on the roads of the upper Gave d’Aspe valley, and an increased number of accidents.
Sounds like this indicates a powerful case.
Madrid And London By The Scenic Rail Route
The route would be as follows.
- Madrid and Zaragoza by High Speed Train.
- Zaragoza and Canfranc by local train through the mountains.
- Canfranc and Pau by local train through the mountains.
- Pau and Paris by TGV
- Paris and London via Eurostar.
Note.
- According to the Railway Gazette, a luxury hotel is being built at Canfranc.
- Bordeaux is a good city for an overnight stop.
- Prior to the covids, Eurostar were hoping to run a direct London and Bordeaux service.
I hope to do this trip in the next couple of years.
