A direct rail connection between Lisbon and Madrid is planned for 2030, according to an agreement reached between the governments of both countries and the European Commission, the Portuguese Ministry of Infrastructure announced on Thursday. This project foresees a five-hour train journey between now and 2030, reduced to about three hours before 2034 thanks to high speed, the Portuguese government statement states.
To date there are no direct trains between the two capitals. The two Iberian cities are connected by around forty daily flights, with an average duration of one hour.
Brussels support announced in January 2023
The project is part of a strategy aimed at proposing an alternative offer that is “more competitive for travelers” and a “more ecological option”, within the framework of European climate objectives, recalls the Portuguese ministry. The two countries have also committed to studying, between now and 2027, the “costs and benefits” of a transition from the Iberian railway gauge to the European standard. Spanish and Portuguese railways have a different gauge than the European standard.
In 2012, Portugal “permanently” suspended the Lisbon-Madrid TGV construction project, initially planned for the following year, due to the implementation of austerity policies to reduce public debt after having resorted to an international aid plan in 2011. In January 2023, the European Commission announced its support for ten cross-border rail links, including the one linking Lisbon and Madrid.
Source: BFM TV
