Euroregional Roadmap for Donostia – Bayonne Direct and Public Rail Services
Beneficiaries & Territory
EGTC Euroregion Nouvelle-Aquitaine Euskadi Navarre
Border regions of Nouvelle-Aquitaine (France), Euskadi (Basque Country, Spain), and Navarre, specifically the urban continuum between Donostia (San Sebastián) and Bayonne.
Goal
The Pilot Action aims to elaborate a rail governance roadmap to lay the groundwork for the implementation of the San Sebastian (Donostia) – Bayonne direct and public passenger rail services, which are feasible in the near future, according to the transport studies elaborated so far. To that end, the EGTC will pave the way to jumpstart a cross-border public service operation.
Specific objectives
- Build on a governance body that supports the cross-border transport operation and strengthen a cross-border governance architecture for enhancing cross-border seamless public transport services.
- Identify the main challenges and opportunities that will probably need to be tackled through multi-level cross-border governance.
- Contribute to the resilience of the territory by establishing a coordinated governance approach and efficient public services at the service of climate adaptation efforts.
- Draw a cross-border bilateral agreement to address cross-border cooperation challenges in a coordinated approach.
Planned activities
- Elaborate a summary report of all the data, studies and background information in order for each stakeholder to define its specific needs, identify how to address them and how to properly fund them. Several themes will be especially discussed and closely analysed, i.e., infrastructure capacity, legal entities sheltering the cross-border rail operation, the level of cooperation required, local intermodal passenger transport hubs, and transport ticketing.
- Establish an internal governance structure for the Pilot Action, so that local, regional and national actors get involved in the process such as the EGTC Euroregion Nouvelle-Aquitaine Euskadi Navarre, rail transport ministries, infrastructure managers, regional rail transport authorities, public service contract rail operators and other consultive bodies.
- Organize two conferences with the stakeholders to exchange on public rail services, its obstacles and feasibilities. Each and every conference will be guided by a preceding concept note to which every stakeholder will contribute.
- The first conference will touch upon the immediate regional services’ connection in border stations. Its aim is to achieve a common ground to adopt an agreement on train timetable connections in Hendaye and Irun stations.
- The second conference will delve into the Donostia and Bayonne railway and train connection departing from the fact that a third railway track will soon be operational but that its governance structure is yet to be clarified by regional public authorities.
- Elaborate a joint ROADMAP for cross-border public train services between Bayonne and Donostia. This operation with key phases identified will serve as a passenger-centered public service milestone for joint spatial planning within the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Euskadi Navarre Euroregion.