The Transport Committee of the European Parliament has relegated the much-desired Spanish rail line Ruta de la Plata to a lower priority in its roadmap. Portugal and local Spanish authorities lobbied for the renovation of the decommissioned railway that improves connectivity along the Portuguese border.

The lobbying of the Portuguese ambassador and local western Spanish authorities to reinstate the abandoned railway led to a feasibility study on the reopening of the line. To that end, the Spanish government awarded a contract of over 800,000 euros in January.

A new provisional roadmap for the European TEN-T network has now relegated the Ruta de la Plata to a lower priority. The Plasencia-Astorga section of the route now falls under the ‘comprehensive network’ category. The deadline for completion of this part of the TEN-T network is set for 2050, making it the last stage to be completed.

Much-desired route

The Ruta de la Plata rail line is a much-desired route. According to local stakeholders, the route’s renovation will improve social, economic and business cohesion in the region. They also argued that the lack of railway infrastructure in the area presents an obstacle to economic growth in both Spain and Portugal.

The route was a significant rail freight corridor during the 20th century. Already in 2017, Spanish parliament approved possible inquiries into the reopening of the route which led to this year’s feasibility study. However, representatives of Spanish government party PSOE supported the EU’s provisional roadmap of the TEN-T that relegates the Ruta de la Plata to a lower priority.

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