Spain and Portugal are anxious to increase rail connections between their countries, especially high-speed links, but they are out of synch on which links to prioritize.
At a recent annual summit meeting of the two countries’ prime ministers, Spain set a goal of high-speed service between Lisbon and Portugal by 2030, using the shorter route of Lisbon-Evora-Madrid, which the Portuguese leader said is his number two priority, after a route that would reach Madrid via Porto and Vigo.
The longer route favored by Portugal reflects its interest in linking Portugal’s main cities by high-speed rail, from Lisbon in the south to Porto in the north, a goal apparently more important to it than the shortest link to Madrid.
The two sides also discussed possible increased rail links between Spain’s Andalusia region and the Algarve region of southern Portugal. Together, they signed a letter to the French government, asking for coordination on better access from the Iberian peninsula into the heart of Europe.
