Sustainable Mobility releases the updated study report on the Gasteiz to Zabalgana tramway extension for public consultation
- The layout will have a common section and two branch lines to Mariturri and Aldaia and include 11 new stops
- The branch line to the Betoño engine sheds envisages a new stop at Cuenca del Deba on the Salburua line
The Basque Government's Ministry of Sustainable Mobility, through the Transport Infrastructure Division, will tomorrow release for public consultation the study report on the extension of the Vitoria-Gasteiz tramway to Zabalgana and its environmental impact study. The new layout will have a common section from Lovaina to the Zabalgana area, where it will fork into two branch lines, Mariturri and Aldaia, to reach most of the population. The route, approximately six kilometre in length, will have a total of eleven stops – plus an additional one next to the new engine sheds – with an average distance of around 560 metres between them.
The priority goals of the new tramway extension are to improve the public transport network and to connect different means of high-capacity public transport, such as the tramway lines and the BEI (Rapid Transit Bus). Specifically, the aim is to optimise the connection with the Zabalgana district, as the result of the increase in population that that zone has seen in recent years. That has led to significantly greater traffic from the city's outer suburbs to the centre, which is home to retail and business.
The Basque Government Minister for Sustainable Mobility, Susana García Chueca pointed out that the public consultation stage is an ‘important step forward’ for the city and for its priority neighbourhood. The extension to Zabalgana includes ‘increases in the current number of stops of over 50%’ along the tramway system; García Chueca stressed that ‘we are closer to finalising the administrative formalities to be able to start the work on the fourth extension of the Vitoria tramway system, which will undoubtedly mean that the city is better connected thanks to affordable, accessible and sustainable public transport’.
The proposed route begins at the Lovaina stop, where the Zabalgana line passengers will be able to connect with the other lines of the Vitoria-Gasteiz tramway system and vice versa. It then crosses the Lovaina roundabout to join Adriano IV and run along its southern side. There will be a stop on the Adriano VI by CEIP San Martín school, next to Avendaño street. The route continues along Adriano VI to Bustinzuri street, where there will be another stop close to the San Martín outpatient centre and the municipal technical offices. It then turns towards Pintor Doublang along Las Conchas.
The tramway then continues to San Valentín de Berriotxoa, where there will be a stop, and it then turns towards the Mediterráneo avenue, before turning again into Océano Pacífico street. From Océano Pacífico, the tramway goes to Zabalgana avenue, where there will be the Borinbizkarra stop, and then reaches Naciones Unidas avenue, where the line forks into two branch lines.
On the one hand, the Mariturri branch line carries on straight head southwards along the middle of Zabalgana avenue, where there will be the Zabalgana stop. It then turns towards Derechos Humanos avenue, where there will be another stop, and the route continues until it turns south into Iruña Veleia avenue. The Iruña Veleia stop will be located immediately after the turn and the route then runs to the crossroads with Reina Sofía Avenue. Finally, the route runs from Iruña Veleia eastwards to Reina Sofía avenue, where there will be the last stop on the branch line, Mariturri.
On the other hand, the Aldaia branch line runs west along Naciones Unidas avenue, from the Zabalgana and Naciones Unidas roundabout. It will have a stop outside CEIP Zabalgana HLHI school, and another at the end of the street, Aldaia.
As regards the branch line to the engine sheds, it runs from the last stop of the Salburua line, continuing along 8 de marzo avenue, to the crossroads with Londres avenue. The route then continues straight before turning along Helsinki street to Cuenca del Deba, where there will be stop of the same name. It then reaches the Betoño facilities from the Paseo de los Humedales roundabout. The new depot will be able to stable up to 22 units.
The extension to Zabalgana is divided into four sections with different timelines, ranging from 36 months for the common section to 18 months for each of the branch lines, and 24 months in the case of the engine shed and connection line. This splitting into sections is down to construction needs, as it offers flexibility to pace the roll out and limit the urban disruption happening at the same time, and even allow the sections to be implemented in full at the same time.
The total budget for the works comes to €103 million excluding VAT, and will be financed by the Basque Government, Álava Provincial Government and Vitoria-Gasteiz City Council. The specific contributions of each institution will be established in the financing agreement, which is expected to be signed in the coming months.