The Minister of Sustainable Mobility, Susana García Chueca, announced that next week the first gauge and dynamic tests for trains will begin on the underground Topo railway line in San Sebastián. "We will put the first trains through the tunnel to check how the train behaves on straight lines, curves, empty, and loaded," she detailed.
Chueca recalled that the civil works were completed in June and that architectural finishing, installations, and catenary work are currently underway. "Before Christmas, we will be operating on the most important infrastructure in Gipuzkoa in many years," she stated, highlighting the "underground" recovery of the Topo's arrival in the city center, which represents "a change of concept and a revolution" in mobility.
The new infrastructure will also improve surface environments, such as the railway area in Amara, which will be freed up for the promotion of public housing.
Furthermore, service improvements will take effect this Monday. Thanks to the commissioning of the underground variant between Altza (Donostia) and Galtzaraborda (Errenteria) in July, Saturday night frequencies will increase, maintained at summer levels. From Saturday, September 12th, night trains will run with summer frequencies: hourly between Lasarte-Oria and Hendaia, and every 30 minutes between Amara (Donostia) and Pasaia, throughout the night.
As a result of the new variant, Errenteria and Oiartzun will also see service improvements, with 15-minute frequencies on Saturday mornings, Sundays, and holidays throughout the day, compared to the current 30 minutes.
Finally, the minister outlined future railway projects in Gipuzkoa, including the elimination of dead ends in Altza and Amara, network improvements in Errenteria, doubling the track between Oiartzun and Gaintxurizketa, and numerous improvements in Irun. She also mentioned the intermodal platform in Lezo-Gaintxurizketa to remove trucks from the roads.
