Basque Y or theBasque Triangle is thehigh-speed rail network being built between the three cities of theBasque Autonomous Community, inSpain;Bilbao,Vitoria-Gasteiz andDonostia-San Sebastián.[1]
It will transport cargo and passengers. The cargo trains will connect thePort of Bilbao with thePort of Pasaia, (also known as Pasajes/Pasajes-San Pedro). The new high-speed network will consist of 172 km long track.[1] Due to the mountainous relief of the region, 104,3 km (61%) will be in 80tunnels and 17 km (10%) in 71 bridges, leaving only 50.6 km, 29% of the route on the ground, in trenches or embankments.
The maximum speed is 120 km/h for freight trains, whilst passenger trains will travel at speeds of 220 km/h to 240 km/h.
The Basque Y will be built instandard rail gauge (1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) ). It will connect Madrid viaValladolid and connect France viaIrun. Whilethe French high-speed rail line (on which theTGV trains achieve their top speeds) is not planned to reachHendaye until 2032, the Hendaye-Bordeaux track allows 160 km/h. The network will also include a connection to theNavarrese Corridor, the high speed line projected betweenZaragoza and the capital ofNavarre,Pamplona.[2]
As announced initially, it could take well under one hour to connect the cities while the current slower network takes from 1 h 40 min to 2.5 hours. However, a closer study revealed in February 2015 that the projections below do not possibly hold water, conspicuously delaying initial time estimates.[3]
| Origin | Destination | Straight line distance | Current minimum travel time by train | By bus | By car | Projected time on the Basque Y |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilbao | Donostia-San Sebastián | 78 km | 2 h 13 min | 1 h 10 min | 1 h | 38 min |
| Bilbao | Vitoria-Gasteiz | 50 km | 2 h 20 min | 1 h | 45 min | 28 min |
| Vitoria-Gasteiz | San Sebastián | 76 km | 1 h 40 min | 1 h 30 min | 1 h 10 min | 34 min |
| Bilbao | Madrid | 321 km | 4 h 50 min | 4 h 45 min | 4 h | 2 h 15 min |
It took 19 years from the first proposals of a Basque high-speed network to the detailed project. The main issues were disagreements between the series of Spanish and Basque governments, and who would bear the costs. Through the Basque tax agreement, theSpanish government will make initial payments on behalf of the Basque government.[1]
An agreement on 24 April 2006 put the section between Vitoria-Gasteiz and Bilbao under Spanish control (throughAdif), and the section inGipuzkoa province under Basque control.[5] It will be the costliest investment in the Basque Country. The completion of the works was originally forecast for 2017,[1] but it's been delayed several times since then.
In June 2012, theEuropean Investment Bank agreed to offer €1bn of funding.[1]
In early 2015, relevant public authorities (Basque Government,Spanish Ministry of Public Works) renewed their commitment with the project, while on the French branch (Aquitaine) financial tensions and public interest considerations risk to halt progress in high-speed rail works.[clarification needed] In May 2017 a new collaboration agreement was signed between the Basque Government and the Spanish Ministry making changes in the previous agreement from 2006. In October 2017 the deadline was set in year 2023 by Basque high-ranking officials.[6] However, in end 2022 Adif's draft budget put the completion of the Basque Y to the year 2027. A connection withPamplona via two different alternative routes, one via Vitoria-Gasteiz and one via Ezkio/Itsaso is currently in debate.
As of February 2024[update] services are planned to begin in 2027.[4]
It will ease mobility between the Basque capitals, in fact, travel times betweenBilbao,Donostia-San Sebastián andVitoria-Gasteiz will be cut in half.[clarification needed] In addition, the Basque government is improving the existingEuskoTren infrastructure between Bilbao and Donostia-San Sebastián, enabling a better connection between smaller towns and big cities.
The cargo traffic will ease congestion due to road traffic, reduce probability of accidents and help in territorial integration. The railway will connect thePort of Bilbao withEurope's major railway lines.[1]The Basque Y is being built in European rail gauge (1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)).
To reduce theenvironmental impact, the layout avoids the natural areas ofAizkorri,Urkiola andAralar. The increase on the usage of railway, will reduce the usage of planes,[citation needed] more polluting than trains. In addition it will be more affordable than traveling by plane, and taking passengers to the very centre of cities, instead of the outskirts, where airports are usually located.
The officialY-shaped layout was approved by theBasque Parliament, but criticised byEzker Batua-Berdeak, a coalition of the Basque branch ofUnited Left, a component member of theBasque Government in 2007. EB put forward aU-shaped layout.[7][8]
More significant is the opposition staged by theBasque nationalist left and several ecologist groups, such asAHT Gelditu. A demonstration against the train gathered thousands toArrasate/Mondragón in December 2007. Before the 2010-2011 permanent ceasefire, the Basque armed separatist groupETA had the works as one of its targets.[9] In December 2008, Ignacio Uría Mendizábal, the chief executive of a construction company working on the project, was shot dead by ETA[10][11] and in February 2009 a bomb planted againstFerrovial went off inMadrid.
PNV's Basque Government has voiced its concern and mistrust over the Madrid government's actual commitment in the face of overdue funding by December 2014.[12]EH Bildu, the leading political force inGipuzkoa, confirmed in early 2015 its frontal refusal to the project, pointing to the Basque Y's alleged shaky foundations (financially no return or loss, feeble public service). Basque nationalist left's spokespersons labelled the project a "deception-based propaganda operation".[13]
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