Bernardo Ciriza and Chema León, a geologist of the Government of Navarra, attended the Territorial Cohesion Committee of the Foral Parliament on Tuesday. As we know, the Government of Navarra is conducting a geotechnical and hydrological study under Aralar which would use the link of Ezkio, and therefore, in order not to delay the process any further, Ciriza announced that the project will be divided into two parts, one from Pamplona to Altsasu and the other from Altsasu/Alsasua, either from Vitoria or Ezkio. In any case, he said that the exit from the base of Aralar was very uncertain due to the need to build tunnels of 40 kilometers (two tunnels of 21 kilometers).

As explained by the geologist León, the road of Vitoria-Gasteiz is well studied geologically and is well known for having been there where many roads have already been built. It would therefore be much simpler to do the new railway out there. The Aralar sub-area would be very complicated because the Aralar sub-area is unknown and hydrological problems could occur that would affect a large part of the population. It says that “the Vitoria-Gasteiz line would be built easier and faster.”

It would be easier, it is obvious, but it has often been denounced that the new line of Vitoria-Gasteiz divided Sakana into two, so the supporters of the social train ask that it not be done out there either. The same argument is used by Geroa Bai to defend Ezkio. There is already a railway, an old road and a motorway in the ravine, and this project would add the fourth communications infrastructure.

The representatives of UPN and Geroa Bai have maintained their position, stating that the connection with the Basque Y at all costs should be made from Ezkio, otherwise Navarre will be left out of the main European routes of communication. The PSN has changed its position and supported Ciziza: the fundamental thing is that the fast train goes ahead, and that it is not so important that it goes from Vitoria or Ezkio, the important thing is that the link is done correctly and you need information to decide well. In the programme of the last foreign elections, the PSN supported Ezkio. EH Bildu, for its part, stressed that the debate is not Gasteiz or Ezkio, but TAV yes or no; that we are still on time and called for the TAV project to be rejected.

2026: An AHT island of 70 kilometres

In any case, according to Ciriza, the first high-speed trains will be in operation in Navarre by 2026. It will depart 250 km per hour and the Castejón de Pamplona 70 km will travel in 28 minutes. At present, the Alvia train is 140 kilometres per hour and takes 48 minutes.

The Navarre authorities have insisted on putting date at the end of the works, but so far it has not been complied with, and the current announcement by Ciriza is not very credible either, given that, for example, the Ta-Arrizabalaga tranche has barely begun, and it is one of the most complex subsections of this section.

But if the date was fulfilled, these 70 kilometers could remain as an TAV island, especially the 82 kilometers of Zaragoza Castejón to the south, and the 90 kilometers of Asturias-Vitoria are still in the study phase. And in the same situation is the train station of Etxabakoitz to be carried out in Pamplona. The latter, however, does not prevent a temporary station from being set up in Pamplona, as planned in the Basque capitals.