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According to the Bank’s website, the project will finance the new high-speed railway line Burgos-Vitoria, and potentially, a new bypass in Olmedo between the high-speed lines Madrid-Burgos and Madrid-Galicia.
The line, which is approximately 100 km, is part of the Trans-European Network (TEN-T) Atlantic Corridor connecting Madrid and the Basque Country, as well as the Spanish and French border.
The project will comply with the applicable Technical Specifications (TSIs) for Interoperability and include the European Railway Traffic Management System (ERTMS). This will be further verified during the appraisal.
According to the Environmental and Social Data Sheet, the Project crosses or runs in the vicinity of several protected areas. The potential impact on the sites was assessed as part of the EIAs and necessary mitigation measures have been defined. In particular, Natura 2000 and other protected sites are located in its area of influence. These sites are home to multiple fauna and flora species, among them several endangered species, such as the European mink (Mustela lutreola) and freshwater mussel (Margaritifera auricularia) , present only in the Burgos – Vitoria area. Some other protected species, such as the Iberian imperial eagle (Aquila adalberti) and the red kite (Milvus milvus), are present in the wider project area, beyond the Natura 2000 sites.
During construction, the impacts are largely temporary and localised. The main potential impacts are the generation of a significant amount of excavated material and its discharge in controlled dumps, significant temporary pollutants emissions and nuisances due to increased noise levels, vibrations, dust, etc., risk of spills of fuel, oil or other substances.
During the operation phase, the main potential impacts are those typically associated to major linear infrastructure projects, such as change in land use, severance, visual impact, noise and vibration, risk of collision of trains in movement with humans or animals.
Following the completion of these analyses and design, amongst other, taking into account their specific conservation objectives, the Promoter will, amongst other, request a confirmation from the corresponding competent authority that the Project does not adversely affect the integrity of any Natura 2000 sites. For the section “Pancorbo – Ameyugo” of the HSL Burgos – Vitoria and for the Connection HSLs Madrid – Galicia and Madrid – Valladolid the design and the complementary analyses have been completed and the mitigation measures have been coordinated and confirmed with the competent authority. For these two sections, the corresponding competent authorities stated that the Project will not have significant negative impacts on any Natura 2000 sites. For the remaining sections, the detailed design and the corresponding analyses are ongoing and expected to be completed in Q4 2025/Q1 2026.
The HSL Burgos – Vitoria requires expropriation, right of way easement or temporary occupation of approximately 1,064 ha, 51 ha and 110 ha, respectively. The Connection of HSLs Madrid – Galicia and Madrid – Valladolid requires approximately 39 ha, 2 ha and 12 ha, respectively. The affected land is mostly agricultural or undeveloped. The project requires expropriation of one residential property.
The Project affects some elements of cultural heritage, in particular some elements of linear cultural heritage, such as Roman roads Italia - Hispania and Hispania - Aquitania, the Way of St. James (Camino de Santiago) - these elements are limited to the HSL Burgos-Vitoria -, and drover’ roads.
The biggest infrastructure investor in Spain, Adif Alta Velocidad is at the forefront of the transition to a new mobility model that is smarter, safer, more sustainable, more comprehensive and more multimodal. The company is creating a rail network to complete high-speed routes and trans-European transport corridors. The liberalisation of rail passenger transport, the digital transformation and large-scale cultural change are among the challenges facing the company as it aims to consolidate rail as the main mode of transport for the 21st century. Adif AV is an entity under the Spanish Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility.
| Private Actor 1 | Private Actor 1 Role | Private Actor 1 Sector | Relation | Private Actor 2 | Private Actor 2 Role | Private Actor 2 Sector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | - | - | Adif Alta Velocidad | Client | - |
Contact: Maite Cordero
Email: m.corderomunoz@eib.org
Phone: +34 606 66 82 62
ACCESS TO INFORMATION
You can submit an information request for project information at: https://www.eib.org/en/infocentre/registers/request-form/request-form-default.htm
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