Faro Chamber approves demonstration in support of the high-speed line between Algarve and Andalusia

Decision was taken unanimously

The Faro City Council unanimously approved, at a council meeting on March 23rd, a demonstration of institutional support for the advancement of the high-speed railway line between Faro, Huelva and Seville.

The historical, commercial and emotional ties that unite the two regions; the geographical locations of the Algarve and Andalusia in relation to the European economic center, which puts them in a favorable position to establish connections between Europe and Africa and Latin America; the need for this infrastructure to consolidate and monitor its development, alongside the existing hotel and industrial equipment, allowing a currently non-existent cross-border connection and which, with high speed, will be the engine and impetus for growth, were some of the reasons that justified approval of this expression of support from the Faro municipality.

Likewise, the local Executive took into account that this is not just a demand from governance, but also from businesspeople and social agents in the two regions and that, as the European Union’s priority is the territorial cohesion of the regions, particularly the peripheral ones , a project for a high-speed line connecting Faro, Huelva and Seville must have the political and financial support of the European Union. In fact, the existence of important lines of support from community authorities represents a unique and, perhaps historic, opportunity that should not be wasted, in order to access the necessary funds to carry out this project.

We remember that the Municipality of Faro joined the Ayuntamientos of Huelva and Seville (Spain) to demand a high-speed rail connection that connects these three cities, having, within the scope of the 1st International Meeting for high speed, an initiative that took place in On February 13th, the Mayor of Faro, Rogério Bacalhau, the mayor of Huelva, Pilar Miranda and the mayor of Seville, José Luis Sanz, signed a manifesto, in which they urge national and community authorities to commit to development of this railway corridor between the Algarve and Andalusia (Spain), defending its inclusion as a priority project in the Trans-European Transport Network and providing the necessary funds to begin preliminary work.

According to the document signed by the three responsible, “high speed served for the economic development of cities and regions which, thanks to a modern railway network, registered notable growth”. In this sense, the manifesto states, the Algarve and Andalusia are two territories that “they lack a railway infrastructure that allows them to consolidate growth that makes it easier for them to reach levels of activity that enhance their resources and conditions, not only natural, but also their hotel and industrial infrastructures”.

“The railway connection between the Algarve and Andalusia through a high-speed line that connects Faro with Huelva and Seville would be a milestone in the connectivity between two territories called to be protagonists, which share the desire to integrate into Europe’s major railway routes.”, he also states, adding that, despite the considerable improvement of the road network in recent years, the lack of a cross-border railway network becomes a handicap for the logistical development of the territory, as well as for the transport of passengers in two areas with a tourist vocation. .

For Rogério Bacalhau, Mayor of Faro, this is an investment in the future that can truly change the face of our regions “the creation of an Atlantic railway corridor, which places the Algarve Line in communication with the rest of the architecture of the Spanish railway network, will allow efficient and rapid mobility of passengers and goods, but will also promote territorial cohesion and social and regional and cross-border economic”, highlighted the mayor, adding that this project could help bring the Algarve and Andalusia closer to the European economic center, at the same time as “It also allows important steps to be taken to achieve environmental decarbonization goals”.

The Farense mayor also highlighted that “This is a unique and perhaps unrepeatable moment to move this project forward, demanding the necessary funds from Governments and the European Union to do so.”.