“It is a safety net to ensure there is no turning back” and a way of remembering that “not a single minute can be wasted,” said Alfonso Rueda, president of the Galician regional government, at the signing of the agreement.
The leaders of Galicia and Northern Portugal made an ironclad commitment on Tuesday from both regions to have the high-speed train in place by 2032, with “no excuse” for delays from central governments.
“This is a strategic objective for the territory, so there is no excuse for any delay or any doubt. We believe that this time has to be the definitive one,” said the president of the Galician Government, Alfonso Rueda, to journalists after signing a joint statement with the Commission for Coordination and Regional Development of Northern Portugal (CCDR-N), in Valença (Viana do Castelo).
The two entities maintain that the high-speed rail connection between Porto and Vigo, with connections to Lisbon, Santiago de Compostela and A Coruña, is “an obvious priority”.
The CCDR-N and the Xunta da Galiza highlight that the Studies carried out on the high-speed rail connection demonstrate “indisputable data” on its potential of utilization and profitability, requiring a budget, a realistic schedule to achieve them within the planned timeframes and “a complete program of actions, investments and steps for the priority connection to the southern exit of Vigo.”
According to Alfonso Rueda, signing the declaration “is a bit of a safety net to ensure there is no turning back” and a way of emphasising that “not a single minute of time can be wasted” on the project.
“It is a difficult deadline to meet,” he acknowledged, stating that “if the movement does not start now, this [cumprir o prazo de 2032] It will be impossible. I have suspicions, but I want to acknowledge that this time things will be done,” he added.
CCDR-N President António Cunha stressed that “there is no doubt” about the Portuguese government’s commitments, but called for this process to be “very consolidated and almost protected.”
“All of this requires very systematic work that needs to be reinforced, protected and given even greater care than we have had so that we understand and are all sure that these deadlines will be met,” he stressed.
Regarding the signed joint declaration, António Cunha admitted that it is based “on evidence that more than 20 years […] This issue was included in the agenda of both governments after the Iberian summit in Figueira da Foz in 2003.”
“Over the last 20 years we have always had a slip-up that has overtaken many governments. That is why we are asking this Government for an additional effort, even if it ties itself in knots, so that the thing remains well tied up and cannot be undone and can be consummated,” he said.
The Government reaffirms to the President of the Galician Government its commitment to high speed
On May 23, after a brief meeting with the President of the Xunta de Galicia, the Minister of Infrastructure assured that the executive maintains its commitment to high-speed rail connections between Lisbon and Vigo, in addition to Madrid.
The connection from Porto to Vigo, in Galicia, which runs parallel to the high-speed line between Porto and Lisbon, includes stations at Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport, Braga, Ponte de Lima and Valença (Viana do Castelo district).
Source: Observadora
