Renfe postpones the project for a high-speed train between Barcelona and Toulouse

BarcelonaAnother delay at Renfe. However, in this case it's not just a train that's delayed, but an entire project. The company has postponed the launch of the AVE between Barcelona and Toulouse which was scheduled to launch this second quarter. According to Europa Press and confirmed to ARA by industry sources, the schedule announced in October will have to be redefined. The reason? Renfe is once again pointing to the obstacles France is placing in the way of rolling out its high-speed services.

These inconveniences in France already meant that last year Catalonia was unable to launch two railway projects connecting Barcelona with other countries: Renfe's Barcelona-Paris line and the European Sleeper night train between Amsterdam and Barcelona. Given this scenario, Renfe sources explained to Europa Press that they are opening "a process of analysis and reflection" on their global strategy in France. A reflection that includes putting on hold any decision regarding the start of operations in Toulouse.

Despite the liberalization of the sector, which in principle was supposed to facilitate the entry of other companies into the different partner territories of the European Union, in practice obtaining the necessary permits to operate still depends on each of the member states, which are reluctant to allow foreign companies to enter.

A route lost during the pandemic

The route between Barcelona and Toulouse was to have stops in Girona, Figueres, Perpignan, and Carcassonne. The idea at the time was for the line to have schedules that would allow for connections to Tarragona, Lleida, Valencia, Madrid, and Zaragoza. The route between the Catalan capital and the French city had already been operated in the past, but was lost during the pandemic.

Initially, the route was only scheduled to operate between April and September, with one outbound and one return train each day. The journey is expected to take three and a half hours. Later, the service could be extended to more months of the year.

The company is also planning a high-speed connection to Paris. Although it was originally planned to arrive in 2024, Renfe has long since lowered its optimism regarding the schedule and has begun working with the expectation that this connection might not be possible until 2026 at the earliest.