The Spanish Government has modified its plans to improve the railway connection between Huelva and Seville. Instead of building a high-speed line to Huelva, it has decided to build a cut-off in the conventional line. They claim the savings will be 690 million Euro, and the journey time would increase by only 10 minutes.
The announcement of renouncing the construction of a new 95-kilometre-long route with high-speed parameters was made yesterday by the Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente. In declarations to EuropaPress, he stated that the high-speed line to Huelva “will take a lot of time” and a “bestial” investment. He defended that “with the third part of the investment, we will solve the problem in much less time”, and the “difference” between one and the other is “ten minutes” more.
The alternative to the high-speed train to Huelva will save 700 million euros
Constructing a new route between both cities would mean an investment of between 1.1 and 1.5 billion euros. However, the subdelegate of the Government in Huelva, María José Rico, defends that the 45-kilometre bypass will reduce the investment to only 410 million euros.
In her statement, Rico acknowledged that the journey time between Seville and Huelva would be 10 minutes longer than the new line (50 minutes compared to the 40 minutes planned). However, “we would do it in less time, with far fewer environmental problems, with much less impact, easier to finance and much easier to execute. That is why we are working on this second option”.
This cut-off would allow the Huelva-Seville route to be made in 50 minutes, compared to the 90 minutes it takes to make the journey at present. Alvia’s journey to Madrid would be reduced to just over 3 hours. The journey by car between the two Andalusian cities takes 70 minutes, while by bus, it takes between 75 and 120 minutes.
Opposition criticises the decision
Both PP and Vox parties have criticised the decision. The President of the Andalusian Regional Government, Juanma Moreno, has described it as “a very serious historical mistake.” He considers bringing the high-speed train to Huelva “strategic for Andalusia and Spain” and that, moreover, “it is feasible.”
The provincial president of Vox in Huelva, María López, said that she found Óscar Puente’s statements “unpresentable.”
The mayor of Huelva, Pilar Miranda, defends the high-speed train to Huelva from Seville as “unrenounceable” because the province “deserves it.” She says it seems “disturbing” that the proposal is defended by justifying “the short time difference.” In other words, “it is not true because the journey is halved.”
Although there are reports that the new HSL’s journey time between Huelva and Seville will be 23 minutes, in this presentation in April 2018, the Ministry of Public Works stated that it would be 40 minutes.
Opponents of this announcement also argue that the high-speed line to Huelva from Seville is necessary to connect with Portugal. However, this alternative will not prevent high-speed trains from reaching Huelva or crossing the border.
If what has been announced is fulfilled, it will be possible to connect Portugal with the Spanish high-speed rail network through Huelva. However, using the current infrastructure takes only 10 minutes longer, considerably reducing the investment and time needed to improve the city’s railway connection without building a new high-speed line.
