High-speed rail OTHER HIGH-SPEED PROJECTS
BERLIN–PALERMO AXIS Expected completion: 2016 This gigantic priority project is another of the European Union’s Trans-European Transport Networks (TEN-Ts), subtitled ‘High Speed Rail Corridor 1’. The EU will dish up €1 billion in subsidies by 2013 alone. The over 2,000km route takes in numerous schemes in three countries. In Germany, upgrading of the line between Erfurt and Nuremburg will slash journey times from Berlin to Munich. In Austria, the New Lower Inn Valley Railway is being built to relieve the congestion on the trans- Alpine Brenner pass. This will facilitate quicker journeys between Munich, Innsbruck and northern Italy. The Italian government has already invested heavily in high-speed rail to connect the wealthy northern cities of Bologna, Florence and Milan to Rome and Naples. The last piece in the puzzle will be a fi xed link over the Messina Strait to Sicily – a new bridge supporting rail lines and a motorway.
ISTANBUL–ANKARA Expected completion: 2013 The Ankara half of the line is built, but the Istanbul end is more complex because it requires a trans-continental tunnel under the Bosphorous, and new underground stations in central Istanbul. Archaeological digs have slowed work. This project is certain to heavily impact Turkey’s densest air route. Other high-speed lines are being built, radiating out from Ankara too.
after the high-speed rail on that route was opened. Previously the so-called Aeropuente (Air Bridge) was the busiest air route in Europe, with almost 1,000 fl ights per week.
The Barcelona–Madrid high-speed
AVE line has been open since February 2008, with a journey time of two hours 40 minutes. As a result of the line, Iberia has reduced capacity by deploying smaller aircraft on its BCN–MAD routes. “The overall effect of high-speed rail links is pretty clear and numerous air routes have been heavily impacted as a result,” says Mark Clarkson, VP consultancy services at ASM. “Our data
www.routesonline.com
The Madrid–Valencia example A new high-speed rail line was also opened between Madrid and Valencia in December 2010, cutting journey times on the 400km route between the two cities to one hour 33 minutes. “Ryanair and Iberia pulled service this summer on MAD–VLC – it shows the continuing impact of the AVE in Spain. Based on weekly capacity (according to
LONDON–BIRMINGHAM Expected completion: 2025 London to Birmingham would be the fi rst section of the UK’s High Speed 2, with two branches north to Leeds and Manchester (plus, later, Glasgow). Birmingham Airport will get its own station and could benefi t enormously, with journey times from London Euston to Birmingham Airport of only 40 minutes. The gateway could pick up traffi c from the south east of England. Plans are more vague about if or when Heathrow will get a station.
LISBON–PORTO/LISBON–MADRID Expected completion: 2015 Work has yet to start, but the Lisbon–Madrid line could open as early as 2013, with the line to Porto in 2015. The Madrid line would be likely to take a lot of capacity away from Madrid–Lisbon air traffi c.
DIJON–MULHOUSE Expected completion: 2011 This soon to be completed link will allow cross-border travel between Switzerland and France, possibly with implications for fl ights from Basel, Zurich and Geneva to Paris.
BASQUE Y PROJECT Expected completion: 2015
The so-called “Y” project plugs Bilbao and San Sebastian into the existing Spanish high-speed network to Madrid and Barcelona, impacting domestic fl ights. In 2020, a second French high-speed
shows how MAD–BCN capacity has been affected by high-speed rail.” In the past two years, 1.7 million passengers have been lost from the BCN–MAD air market”, he says.
connection will hit the Spanish border at Hendaye, providing greater choice for central/northern Spain to western/central France journeys (La Rochelle/Bordeaux to Zaragoza/Madrid).
WARSAW–KRAKOW Expected completion: 2012 Poor roads mean there are many domestic fl ights in Poland but this new line will slash journey times from the capital to the south and Slovakia.
TOURS–BORDEAUX Expected completion: 2016 This is part of the network that would link Paris and the western fl ank of France to the Basque country.
LE MANS–RENNES Expected completion: 2016
With this link in place it will cut 37 minutes off journeys and air traffi c from Rennes to Paris will surely be squeezed.
NANCY–STRASBOURG Expected completion: 2015 Further strengthening Franco-German routes, the LGV Est extension would make Paris to Stuttgart and Frankfurt even more attractive by rail.
LYON–TURIN Expected completion: 2015
This section of the French high-speed line would facilitate longer distance journeys over lucrative routes such as Paris–Milan.
Flightbase Schedules February 14–20), the cancellation of Ryanair and Iberia routes from MAD to VLC will result in over 50% of the available seat capacity being removed from the start of the coming summer season. Whether Air Nostrum continues to operate the route, particularly at the current frequency, is debatable,” says Clarkson.
If we take CDG to BCN, the available seat kilometres (ASKs) total 118,417,629 in the fi rst quarter of 2011 compared with 176,820,581 in the fi rst quarter of 2008. Vueling dropped the route last year, leaving Air France and easyJet to operate it.
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