email enviado a Carlo Secchi, coordenador do corredor atlântico

25/09/2018                                                                                        santos.silva45@hotmail.com – Correio

Portugal and the TEN-T core network


Dear Mr Carlo Secchi

We commend you for your excellent work in the development of transport in a United Europe.

We are part of a group of transport technicians and businessmen who view with concern the Portuguese government's railway policy.

Under the pretext of the financial crisis that affected Portugal, the government in 2011 gave up the construc on of the high-speed sec on of Poceirão (south of Lisbon) - Caia (border with Spain, near Badajoz). He also gave up the construc on of the bridge over the Tagus River that would bring the Lisbon-Madrid high-speed line to Lisbon.

A er 7 years, approaching the EU financial framework 2021-2027, there is no disclosure  of credible planning  (even if we consider the last mee ngs of the  intergovernmental workgroups for border connexions) for the design, tendering and construc on of the high-speed and mixed traffic lines that are part of the core network of interna onal corridors with the objec ve of 2030.

Although the report issued by you last April (Third Workplan, April 2018) explains that does  not bind the European Commission, it is s ll an actual report drawn up by the Atlan c Corridor coordinator and contains sufficient doubts to support our apprehension on the possibility of comple ng the construc on of the corridor within the me limit defined by Regula on 1315/2013, that is, un l 2030.

Indeed :

(1) Spain has announced that it intends to complete most of this Corridor within its territory by 2023, including the most complicated part, Basque Y, as referred in point 2.2.1. (page 11 of the Report) and the whole before 2030. However, for track gauge, on p. 12, the Report predicts that by 2030 the UIC gauge will only cover about 74%, which means that there will s ll be 26% missing lines in this gauge. Since, in 2030, Spain has completed its part and in France and Germany, the official gauge is the UIC, it must be concluded that in Portugal li le or nothing will be built in UIC gauge, preven ng european access to ports of the Portuguese Atlan c coast. The report itself shows it on the map in fig.9 (p. 30) and in p.44: "interoperability, notably related to track gauge, remains a cri cal issue, with relevant sec ons of the Portuguese network, such as those in the North line connec ng the nodes of Lisbon and Porto, con nuing to be in Iberian gauge ". And on p.65 (recommenda ons): "Regarding track gauges, the gaps

remaining a er 2030 will be mainly in Portugal on the North line connec ng Lisbon and Porto" Does it have to be like this, contrary to the 2030 core network goal?

The report on page 65 also states that the "UIC gauge deployment (some mes through polyvalent sleepers)" will be carried out by 2030 among other interoperability items. However, polyvalent sleepers do not in themselves ensure a 'seamless rail connec on between Lisbon and Madrid and further north to the rest of Europe' (p.67), since it is

https://outlook.live.com/owa/?path=/mail/search/rp 1/2 25/09/2018       santos.silva45@hotmail.com – Correio

already planned the transhipment of the goods transported in Iberian gauge to UIC gauge in Vitoria / Jundiz (p. 50). Besides that, the use of variable-axle wagons is not compe ve for long distances and prevent the opera on in Portuguese territory of operators from beyond the Pyrenees.

2)                If the Portuguese authori es, instead of construc ng new lines for the UIC gauge, prefer to use polyvalentsleepers for later UIC gauge reconversion of some of its Iberian gauge old lines (although they are single track and have gradients and curves out of the Atlan c Corridor specifica ons), have you been presented with the corresponding cost / benefit (GVA) studies for both scenarios considering the EU objec ves (modal shi of 50% of the highway to mari me and rail modes)? And, in the case of the conversion of single track lines into Iberian gauge, did these studies include the down me of each line during the gauge transi on and the inherent loss of market for alterna ve transport? Were you informed of which dates are planned for execu on and comple on of any of these assump ons?

3)                The Sines-Leixões Atlan c axis already has several saturated and / or poorly preserved sec ons, and a new line isurgently needed. Do you know if it will s ll be in Iberian gauge ? Do you consider the possibility of rejoining the Sines-Grandola connec on in the core 2030 network through a new route compa ble with environmental criteria? Without prejudice to the non-interference of the EC in the governments of the Member States, do you consider that the EC could put pressure on the Portuguese Government to construct it in UIC gauge avoiding polyvalent sleepers  ? How and when will interconnect this Atlan c axis with the 2 interna onal axes (north and south)?

4)                Since the modal shi from the highway to the railroad is one of the goals to be achieved by 2030 and animportant way to combat the import of fossil fuels, environmental pollu on and related diseases, road hazards and long-haul transporta on costs, will the Commission withdraw from these objec ves or will it pressurize the Portuguese Government to comply with it by 2030, and asks it to make public a metable of implementa on with deadlines and costs by 2030?

5)                Do you agree that failure to complete the Atlan c Corridor by 2030, including the UIC gauge among the othersspecifica ons, distorts compe on, benefi ng operators with Iberian gauge rolling stock, it being obvious that both Portugal and the European Union would earn with the entry into service of the Atlan c Corridor as soon as possible?

6)                Will the European Commission therefore be prepared to consider the appropriate European co-financing of thePortuguese part of the Atlan c Corridor, including UIC gauge, through EU budget 2021-2027 or other funds, pressing the Portuguese government to accelerate the prepara on of projects for the related applica ons?

Thank you for your a en on.

Please accept our best regards

                Lisbon,  25 july 2018

Henrique Sousa Neto                             (henriquejosesousaneto@gmail.com)

Luis Cabral da Silva                               (luis.c.silva.01@gmail.com)

Fernando Santos e Silva                                (santos.silva45@hotmail.com)


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