The Generalitat de Catalunya has put out to tender the study for the first stage of the Railway Axis. This ambitious public works project aims to establish a direct rail connection between the cities of Lleida and Girona, without the need to pass through the Catalan capital. The news has been confirmed by various media outlets and the Agència Catalana de Notícies (ACN).
The project includes the construction of a high-speed station located in the Vallès region. This new station is intended to facilitate interchange with Rodalies (commuter rail) and Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC) lines. Furthermore, a new rail branch between Martorell and Mollet is planned, which would allow high-speed trains (AVE) from Madrid to access Barcelona via the future La Sagrera station.
The planning for the first section, covering the route between Lleida, Igualada, and Martorell, as well as the entry into Barcelona via La Sagrera, has an estimated budget of one and a half million euros. The duration of this study and planning phase is expected to exceed two years.
“"This infrastructure will strengthen the current network in terms of capacity, efficiency, and balance."
The contract specifications, managed by Ifercat, detail that the future high-speed station in Vallès does not yet have a specific municipal location. However, it stipulates that the route must be "substantially parallel" to the R8 Rodalies line, between the Rubí tunnel and Mollet-Sant Fost. The Government also anticipates that high-speed trains will stop at a minimum of one station in each county traversed by the line.
This tender incorporates the proposal put forward last November by the Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, regarding high-speed access to Barcelona via La Sagrera. Puente announced at the time the study of the feasibility of a "direct" AVE variant between Lleida and Barcelona-Sagrera, which would avoid passing through Camp de Tarragona and Sants, promising significant time savings and a decongestion of the Tarragona section towards the Catalan capital.
