(29/05/2024) 
The report was elaborated to ‘provide a rational point of view based on the basic principles of the railway and the network concept, always taking into account the continental reality and the requirements of the European Union’. The executive summary explains how the European corridors included in the TENT-T network are ‘a political concept that serves to finance transport infrastructure, but do not take into account the idea of a European network’.

For this reason they argue that ‘if we want to have an efficient system that meets the different sustainability goals, even taking into account the foreseeable increases in traffic demand, it is necessary to have a peninsular rail network integrated into a European network. This integration requires an infrastructure that offers, with capacity conditions, diversity of routes and interoperability’.

The report states that this diversity ‘means that there must be the possibility of offering alternative routes for the trains of the different operators depending on the type of transport, traffic circumstances, etc.’. In this sense, they point out that ‘in the medium term, this requires that there be at least three main axes of communication between the Iberian Peninsula and the rest of the European network, through France’.

Interoperability

As far as interoperability is concerned, both on the peninsular and continental networks, the study highlights that it is a priority to have a homogeneous track gauge, with the European standard of 1,435 mm, wide minimum loading gauges (P420) with a minimum admissible weight of 22.5 tonnes per axle, a logical distribution of sidings, and a minimum length of 750 to 1,000 metres.

In addition, they consider it necessary to have forks, crossings and access to terminals without shearing of routes, homogeneous supply voltages and sufficient powers (25 kV AC), signalling adapted to traffic (especially with respect to speeds and frequencies), radio equipment and different elements of protection, among other aspects.