Temporarily close the high-speed line between Madrid and Barcelona to finish the works sooner. That is the possibility Transport and Sustainable Mobility Minister Óscar Puente put on the table this Friday. An option that would alter business trips, getaways, and the rail connections of a corridor whose usefulness goes far beyond the journey between the two great cities.
No definitive closure or date to carry it out has been announced. The proposal consists of studying whether it would be advisable to concentrate the works during a service interruption or to keep traffic running while the work progresses more slowly.
Puente has explained that an intervention that could last five years using the available maintenance slots could be reduced to less than 24 months, or to 12 months under normal conditions, with the service suspended. These are scenarios set out by the minister, not an approved schedule for the line.
What Transport is studying and why
The dilemma affects the way major railway renewals are organized. Keeping trains running while work is carried out allows mobility to be maintained, but limits the time available to intervene. Interrupting the service offers more working room in exchange for temporarily depriving travelers of that connection.
Puente has pointed out that the closure during the remodeling is a formula used in Germany and that Transport is considering applying it to lines such as Madrid-Barcelona.
The minister has placed the proposal within the debate on works and punctuality, and has denied that it responds to safety reasons. His statements were made during the press conference after the Urda accident, but they do not amount to announcing that the Madrid-Barcelona line is unsafe.
The consequences would depend on which sections were closed
The territorial scope would be the first issue that would have to be clarified. A complete interruption of the corridor would not have the same consequences as section-by-section closures or phased execution.
The network allows services with Zaragoza, Lleida, Tarragona and extensions toward Girona and Figueres, in addition to trips between Madrid and Barcelona. Renfe includes those connections in its usual corridor schedule.
Without knowing where work would be carried out, it cannot be stated that all those cities would lose their services during the same period. Some connections could be maintained if their routes did not pass through the affected sections. Others would need transfers, alternative itineraries, or road replacements.
The map of the works would therefore be as important as their duration: it would make it possible to know which passengers would lose a direct train and which would retain part of the rail journey.
Greater potential demand for flights, buses, and cars
If the direct high-speed connection were suspended, some of its users would seek alternatives by plane, bus, or private vehicle. That shift in demand would be a foreseeable consequence, although it still cannot be quantified.
The plane could absorb part of the trips between Madrid and Barcelona. For intermediate cities, however, substitution would be more complex: an air connection between the two capitals does not solve the same trips as a train with stops.
Buses could cover complete routes or link stations on both sides of a closed section. Their capacity would depend on the vehicles, drivers, frequencies, and terminals available.
Nor can it be taken for granted that alternative fares would rise by a determined amount. The evolution of prices would depend on how many travelers changed transport and on the additional supply that companies could put into operation.
Work trips and getaways would have to be reorganized
For those who make frequent trips, the main change would be the total time needed to travel. Possible transfers, trips to airports, or road journeys would have to be added.
Companies could review their travel policies, group meetings, or replace some trips with remote meetings. Tourism would also have to adapt: the ease of arriving by train influences the organization of getaways, conferences, and short-duration visits.
To estimate the magnitude of the economic losses, it would be necessary to know the effective duration, the services that would continue running, and the quality of the alternatives.
The alternative plan would be decisive
An eventual decision to close would have to be accompanied by information that would make it possible to plan trips: dates, sections, affected services, and available solutions.
The issue would not be only about offering another means of transport. It would also matter to know how long it would take, what capacity it would have, how the connections would be organized and what assistance people with reduced mobility would receive.
At this moment, no alternative plan associated with this proposal has been presented in the cited reports. For that reason, it cannot be ensured that there would be buses for all connections nor that certain travel times would be preserved.
What those who already have tickets should do
Puente's proposal does not in itself mean the cancellation of the trains sold. Those who have a reservation should check the status of their service and their operator's communications, without interpreting this possibility as a stoppage already activated.
If Transportes finally adopts the measure, the announcement will have to specify when it would begin and which services would be affected. Until then, the debate is open: speed up the renewal through a prolonged interruption or maintain the journeys while the works extend for longer.