Tren Gran: Generalitat tenders study for Lleida-Girona connection

The project, known as the Transversal Railway Axis, aims for an interior connection without passing through Barcelona, with Igualada as a key junction.

Map of the proposed railway route for the Tren Gran in Catalunya, highlighting the connection between Lleida and Girona via Anoia.
IA

Map of the proposed railway route for the Tren Gran in Catalunya, highlighting the connection between Lleida and Girona via Anoia.

The Government of Catalonia has initiated procedures for the Tren Gran, by tendering the drafting of the study for the first phase of the railway project that will connect Lleida with Girona.

The railway infrastructure department, through the public company Ifercat, has awarded the drafting of this study for 1.1 million euros, with an execution period of two years and four months. The main objective of this initiative is to create a Transversal Railway Axis that crosses the interior of Catalunya, avoiding the need to pass through Barcelona.
The technical report will need to precisely define the final route of the new line and establish the estimated budget for its construction. According to forecasts, the route of the Tren Gran would start in Lleida and reach the capital of Anoia, Igualada. At this point, the line would split into two branches: one continuing towards Manresa, Vic, and Girona, and another heading towards La Sagrera in Barcelona, passing through Martorell.
The first phase being tendered covers the section between the capital of Segrià and Igualada, as well as the access to the Catalan capital. However, estimates suggest that the physical works will not begin, at the earliest, until the year 2030.