Priority Project 8

 PROJECT DESCRIPTION

This axis reinforces some of the key modal corridors linking Portugal and Spain, thus contributing to the improvement of connections between the  centre of the EU and its peripheral regions, and the strengthening of the Iberian peninsula’s position as a western European gateway.

It includes sub-projects aiming at improving routes across the Spanish-Portuguese border, linking Spanish cities such as Valladolid, Seville, Vigo and La Coruña with Portugal’s principal sea ports and airports and its large urban centres - Porto and Lisbon in particular. As part of wider infrastructure investments, it complements existing rail, road, maritime and air routes in the west of the Iberian peninsula, and will connect the main Portuguese and Spanish sections of the trans-European transport network. Among the sub-projects is included the construction of the new Lisbon airport.

The motorway infrastructure has been completed in Portugal and close to completion in Spain.

The rail infrastructure will still require the removal of bottlenecks (around €1.1 billion is still needed), and is being implemented with polyvalent sleepers (unless direct UIC gauge is used) since the aim of PP08 is to lead towards interoperable lines.

Overall, the axis involves the construction of 2,265 km of new motorways, upgrading of 1,067 km of conventional rail lines, and the upgrading and construction of Atlantic ports and a key airport.