SPAIN: Responsibility for RENFE suburban rail services around Bilbao and San Sebastián was transferred from the national government to the Euzkadi autonomous region at the start of January.
RENFE Viajeros will remain as the operator under a contract running to December 31 2027. It has committed to replacing 25 of the 44 EMUs used on the services.
The agreement covers five services:
- C1 Bilbao Abando – Barakaldo - Santurtzi;
- C2 Bilbao Abando – Barakaldo – Muskiz;
- C3 Bilbao Abando – Orduña;
- C4 Bilbao – Balmaseda;
- C1 Irún – San Sebastián – Tolosa – Brinkola.
The network is used by around 22 million passengers/year.
ADIF will remain as the infrastructure manager. It already has a €400m, 10-year investment programme for the Basque region’s rail network, which will be monitored by a six-person commission including three representatives of the regional government.
A joint working group has also been created to assess and prioritise future infrastructure investments.
A service linking Miranda de Ebro, Vitoria-Gasteiz and Altsasu is planned.
Also planned is an increase in services between Bilbao and Karrantza on the ex-FEVE narrow gauge line where a project to electrify through to Santander and Oviedo was abandoned after the 2008-09 recession. A service of five daily train pairs is proposed once the existing electrification equipment is completed and commissioned.
