North and Galicia promise: TGV from Porto to Vigo arrives in 2032 “with no excuse for delays”

The leaders of Galicia and the North of Portugal made this Tuesday an armored commitment from the two regions to have the high-speed train in 2032, with “no excuse” for delays by central governments.

“This is a strategic objective for the territory, and therefore there is no excuse for any delay or any doubt. We believe that this time has to be the definitive one”, the president of the Junta de Galicia, told journalists, Alfonso Rueda, after signing a joint declaration with the Commission for Coordination and Regional Development of Northern Portugal (CCDR-N), in Valença (Viana do Castelo).

The two entities argue that the high-speed rail connection between Porto and Vigo, with connections to both Lisbon and Santiago de Compostela and A Coruña, is “an obvious priority”.

The CCDR-N and the Xunta da Galiza emphasize that the studies carried out on the high-speed railway connection demonstrate “indisputable data” regarding its potential for use and profitability, requiring a budget plan, a realistic timetable to achieve them within the expected deadlines and “a complete program of actions, investments and stages for the connection with priority for the southern exit from Vigo”.

According to Alfonso Rueda, signing the declaration “is a bit of a safety net so that there is no going backwards” and a way of emphasizing that “no minute of time” in the project.

“It’s a difficult deadline to meet”, he acknowledged, saying that “if the movement doesn’t start now, this [cumprir o prazo de 2032] It’s going to be impossible.” “I’m suspicious but I want to recognize that this time things will happen,” he added.

The president of the CCDR-N, António Cunha, highlighted that “there is no doubt in the slightest” about the Portuguese Government’s commitments, but asked that this process “be very consolidated and almost shielded”.

“All of this requires very systematic work that has to be reinforced, shielded, and that has to have even greater care than that which has been had in order for us to understand and for us all to be sure that these deadlines will be fulfilled”, he stressed.

Regarding the joint statement signed, António Cunha admitted that it is part of “evidence that over 20 years […] This issue was placed on the agenda of both governments after the Iberian summit in Figueira da Foz in 2003”.

“Over the last 20 years we have always had a slippage that has surpassed many governments. Therefore, what we are asking from this Government is an additional effort and even if a knot is tied on top of this, so that the thing stays tightly tied and cannot come out and be possible to be consummated”, he pointed out.

On May 23, the Minister of Infrastructure assured, after a brief meeting with the president of the regional government of Galicia, that the executive maintains its commitment to the high-speed rail connection between Lisbon and Vigo, as well as to Madrid.

The connection from Porto to Vigo, in Galicia, which is being developed in parallel with the high-speed line between Porto and Lisbon, includes stations at Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport, Braga, Ponte de Lima and Valenç a (district of Viana do Castelo).