Dylan Wagemans
A MAJOR new high-speed rail project that would connect Sevilla with the Algarve via Huelva has taken a key step forward following a meeting between Andalucia’s regional president and Portugal’s Minister for Environment and Energy.
Juanma Moreno, the president of the Junta de Andalucia, met with Maria da Graca Carvalho on Thursday, where they pledged cooperation on cross-border issues including water, wildfires and, crucially, transport links.
Top of the agenda was the long-anticipated high-speed train line that would link Sevilla and the southern Portuguese city of Faro.
Calling it a ‘priority’ project, Moreno highlighted the strong potential for economic growth and job creation if the two regions were better connected.
“We are more prosperous the more connected we are,” Moreno said during a joint press conference with Carvalho.
“This is not just about transporting goods, but also people, tourists, and creating opportunities.”
The project, which would include a stop in Huelva, would be the only high-speed cross-border link for Andalucia.
According to Moreno, a first draft of the plan has already been drawn up and awarded, and the Junta has offered full cooperation with the Spanish central government to get it off the ground ‘as soon as possible’.
The proposal comes amid wider discussions about boosting development in the south of the Iberian Peninsula.
“The periphery of Europe is as important as the centre,” Moreno said, urging the EU to invest in transport infrastructure that promotes growth in regions like Andalucia, the Algarve and Alentejo.
The project was part of a broader discussion between the two leaders that also touched on environmental issues, including water conservation and the recovery of the Iberian lynx – a species once on the brink of extinction.
