- High-speed line will connect the three capitals of the Basque Country region in Spain (Bilbao, Donostia-San Sebastian and Vitoria-Gasteiz), and strengthen rail connections with the rest of the Iberian Peninsula and Europe.
- EIB is also financing other elements of the ¨Y vasca¨ including the connection to the Burgos-Vitoria/Gasteiz high-speed line, the new Vitoria-Gasteiz and Bilbao access points and stations in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Bilbao and Donostia-San Sebastián.
- Loan reflects EIB’s commitment to connecting Europe through high-speed rail and supporting sustainable transport.
- EIB's investments for high-speed rail in Spain exceeds €13.5 billion to date.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Spanish railway infrastructure company Adif Alta Velocidad (Adif AV) have signed a €430 million loan to build the Vitoria/Gasteiz-Bilbao-Donostia/San Sebastián high-speed rail line. The line, called “Y vasca”, will provide a high-speed link between the three capitals of the Basque Country region in Spain and strengthen connections with the rest of the Iberian Peninsula and Europe.
The EIB loan will also cover other elements of the ¨Y vasca¨ infrastructure including the connection to the Burgos-Vitoria-/Gasteiz high-speed line, the new Vitoria-Gasteiz and Bilbao access points and stations in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Bilbao and Donostia-San Sebastián.
The high-speed line (which is under construction) covers a total of 182 km and comprises the Vitoria/Gasteiz-Bilbao and Bergara-Donostia/San Sebastián branches, together with the connection of the two branches via the Nudo Arrasate/Mondragón-Elorrio-Bergara, known as the Nudo de Bergara. Also, part of the new infrastructure are the Astigarraga-Donostia/San Sebastián-Irún section, the access points to Bilbao and Vitoria-Gasteiz, and the connection of this new high-speed line with the Burgos-Vitoria-Gasteiz high-speed line.
Adif AV is building the infrastructure between Vitoria-Gasteiz and Bilbao. The platform that supports the tracks of thirteen sections have already been built, with six still under construction (including those corresponding to the Nudo section).
Designed for mixed traffic (passengers and freight) on double high-speed track with standard gauge, the ¨Y vasca¨ is part of the Atlantic Corridor of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) and is key to connecting the Spanish and Portuguese rail networks with their French counterpart and on to the rest of the European Union. It will also help to improve the Basque Country’s rail connections with the centre of the peninsula via the Madrid-Valladolid-Vitoria/Gasteiz high-speed line and with the Mediterranean via the Navarra Corridor.
The financing signed by the EIB is the final tranche of a €1.03 billion loan approved in 2017 and increased to €1.43 billion in 2021. The ¨Y vasca¨ has been financed by the EIB since the outset through various loans totalling €2.83 billion, supporting the rollout and expansion of this strategic connectivity infrastructure for the Iberian Peninsula.
This one of the largest investments made by the EIB and Adif AV to improve rail connections between the Basque capitals, between Madrid and the Basque Country, and between Spain and Europe.
The EIB's investments for high-speed rail in Spain exceeds €13.5 billion to date.
Background information
European Investment Bank
The European Investment Bank (ElB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. It finances sound investments that further EU policy objectives. EIB projects bolster competitiveness, drive innovation, promote sustainable development, enhance social and territorial cohesion, and support a just and swift transition to climate neutrality.
The European Investment Bank Group (EIB Group), consisting of the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Investment Fund (EIF), reported total financing signatures in Spain of €11.4 billion in 2023, approximately €6.8 billion of which went to climate action and environmental sustainability projects. Overall, the EIB Group signed €88 billion in new financing in 2023.
Adif Alta Velocidad
Adif Alta Velocidad leads the transition towards a new mobility model, more sustainable, integrating, multimodal, safe and intelligent, as the leading infrastructure investor in Spain. The company deploys railway network to complete high-speed axes and trans-European transport corridors. The liberalisation of passenger rail transport, digital transformation and a large-scale cultural change are some of the challenges faced by the company to consolidate the railway as the mode of transport of the 21st century. Adif AV is an entity belonging to the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility.