Susana García Chueca committed to affordable, universal and integrated public transport as a "fundamental tool in the social and economic structuring of our country"
- The Basque Minister for Sustainable Mobility has unveiled the strategic priorities for this parliamentary term; they include driving a future unified fare system for public transport and – on the path towards that goal – the proposed free travel for under 12s in the whole of the Basque Country by 2025
- Gipuzkoa will complete key works to transform the Topo line into a metropolitan railway and to reduce frequencies
- The autonomous government, which has already started on Line 5 of the Bilbao Metro, will begin work on the Southern Railway Bypass, an infrastructure that will take freight from Bilbao and the towns along the Margen Izquierda
- Now that RENFE (the Spanish railway company) has transferred the local train service, the Basque Government will consolidate the connection between the towns of Álava with new services and extending the current ones between Alsasua and Miranda de Ebro
On Monday, the Basque Government's Minister for Sustainable Mobility, Susana García Chueca, appeared before the committee that will address transport-related issues in the Basque Parliament. During her first speech in the Basque Parliament, the Minister explained the strategic priorities for her ministry in the XIII Parliamentary Term; they focus on addressing the fight against climate change with greater use of public transport by means of two lines of work: setting up a unified fare model throughout the autonomous community with the focus on progressivity and social justice, and improving and expanding the tram and rail transport infrastructures with the goal of fewer cars and lorries on the roads.
García Chueca pointed out that road transport is a "problem in the fight against climate change", as it is the cause of 36% of greenhouse gases; she stressed her commitment to "efficient, affordable, universal and integrated public transport as it generates equal opportunities among citizens and puts us on a level footing". "We want it to be a fundamental tool in the social and economic structuring of our country", she emphasised.
Therefore, the autonomous government's goal, as the minister underlined, is to "give a definitive boost" to setting up a unified fare and discount model, while always leaving room for the specific characteristics between provinces, but based on discounts for using public transport and according to people's social and economic means; the focus will particularly be on specific groups, such as young people under 26 years old, large families, people with disabilities and the unemployed. Furthermore, the model envisages transport eventually being free. As she acknowledged, it is a "costly, long and complex process, strategically and technically speaking", both due to the diversity of transport operators and to the technological developments that will be required once the model has been agreed. The Basque Government has laid the foundations and it is now up to the provincial governments and local authorities to embrace the model or propose improvements.
In tandem, García Chueca has explained that they are going to implement two actions on the path to achieve that model. On the one hand, compatibility of the transport cards: "Bat, Barik and Mugi will be fully interoperable during the coming year". On the other hand, the Minister announced that during the next plenary session of the Basque Transport Authority she would propose that all public transport operators of the autonomous community offer free travel to the under 12s.
The Minister explained that a new Railway Sectoral Territorial Plan is being prepared to manage the infrastructures in the Basque Country, with over a hundred actions envisaged so that "each new infrastructure is part of a global spatial planning policy".
As regards the works that are underway, the Minister praised the progress in the construction of the high speed rail, as the work on the rail bed of the Gipuzkoa branch line entrusted to the Basque Government is completed, except for Atotxa station and the coupling with the future Astigarraga local train service; she went on to explain that the commitment is "to continue to take direct steps in the works in coordination with the Spanish Government". Thus, work is already underway on preparing the project to construction the 6-kilometre tunnel to access Abando station, while the management delegation will soon be signed with the central government to follow suit for the Arkaute junction in Álava.
Álava
The Minister explained that the transfer of the local train service operated by Renfe opens up the opportunity to create additional services that have already been agreed with the railway operator and with the adjacent autonomous communities – Navarra and Castilla y León – for the services to end in the neighbouring cities of Alsasua and Miranda de Ebro. The early morning, midday and late evening timetable will be reinforced with new services or by extending the existing ones that currently end in Vitoria-Gasteiz; the aim is to better connect the towns of Álava along the railway line. Two services will be added from Miranda de Ebro to Alsasua and one in the other direction from Monday to Sunday, and four services will be extended in each direction. There will also be an additional three services on Sunday. That will involve an investment of €4 million a year and it will get underway in early 2025.
In Vitoria-Gasteiz, García Chueca highlighted the completion of the informative study and the drafting of the construction project, with the subsequent start of work on the six-kilometre extension of the tramway to Zabalgana, along with the new Betoño engine sheds and the analysis of new development in the latter location.
Bizkaia
The Minister pointed out that the work on Metro de Bilbao Line 5, running 6.3 kilometres between Etxebarri and Usansolo Hospital, is progressing in three of its four phases; she also mentioned that the rail connection to Loiu Airport will be studied. At the same time, the Basque Government will drive the project agreed with Bizkaia Provincial Government regarding Line 4 of Metro de Bilbao.
As regards the local train service in Bizkaia, the Minister indicated that once ADIF had completed the line electrification work in 2025, a shuttle would be put into service between Karrantza and Aranguren; that will be consolidated by five outward and five return trains in addition to the medium distance ones already operating. There will be a further two trains on public holidays. Those measures will cost €1.7 million a year.
Furthermore, García Chueca also told the Parliament that the construction project to extend the tramway from Bilbao to Zorrozaurre will also be awarded this very week; she explained that there will be a new stop and an urban lift between Atxuri and Bolueta to serve the Mina del Morro area.
In Bizkaia, she stressed that the construction projects of the first phase of the Southern Railway Bypass will be completed, as far as Olabeaga; work will begin and Euskal Trenbide Sarea will draft the construction project for the second phase to Arrigorriaga. This will free the Miranda-Arrigorriaga line from freight trains, which will leave room to improve the local train services.
Gipuzkoa
The transport minister welcomed the "definitive boost" that will be given to the railway in Gipuzkoa thanks to different projects over the coming four years. The Donostialdea underground crossing, with a new 4.2-kilometre section, "is already on the home stretch with two stations practically completed and only the weatherproofing and concreting pending for the third". The Altza Galtzaraborda section – which eliminates the end-of-the-line at Altza and will also allow the viaduct dividing Antxo to be demolished – is progressing and the Riberas de Loiola interchange will be built; it will be the junction point between the Renfe local train network running north to south through Gipuzkoa and the Euskotren one from east to west.
"Those projects, along with other measures, will let us to convert the Topo line into the metropolitan railway along the Zumaia-Irún and Tolosa-Donostia sections; the train frequencies will be reduced to 15 minutes between Zumaia and Donostia, and to 7.5 minutes between Lugaritz and Errenteria", explained the Minister. She went on "the metropolitan railway will be the efficient and public alternative to other less sustainable means of transport".
Furthermore, she highlighted the future expansion of the metric gauge in the Port of Pasaia and that an agreement would be signed with the port authority so that work could get underway.
Legislation to bolster sustainable mobility.
The Minister also announced new legislation steps to support the use of public transport and its infrastructures. García Chueca explained that the Sustainable Mobility Plan for the coming decade, which enacts the Sustainable Mobility Act passed by the Basque Parliament nearly a year ago, is at an advanced stage and will be submitted to the Parliament to be discussed and for public consultation in the autumn. The plan has over 100 proposed actions, not only for road transport, but also for rail, active mobility, logistics and freight.
During the current parliamentary term, the Ministry of Sustainable Mobility will draft the Railway Sector Bill to regulate the rail infrastructures and safety in the Basque Country; legislation that will include the setting up of the Basque Railway Safety Agency to draw up directives, legislative recommendations and oversee their enforcement. In this parliamentary term, work will continue on the implementation of the European Rail Traffic Rail Management System (ERTMS), a standardised system in Europe using digital technology for signalling and communication, in order to be able to circulate non-stop through different countries.