Rail connections between Spain and France are set for a significant boost after the Spanish government and French rail infrastructure manager SNCF Réseau agreed to preserve the Iberian-gauge tracks at Hendaye station, paving the way for the return of cross-border commuter services and further international rail improvements.
During a meeting in Paris, Spanish Secretary of State for Transport and Sustainable Mobility José Antonio Santano, SNCF Réseau president Matthieu Chabanel and Spanish rail infrastructure manager Adif president Pedro Marco confirmed an agreement to postpone the planned removal of the 1,668 mm broad-gauge tracks at the French border station.
Cercanías trains to return to Hendaye
The decision allows Spain to proceed with a pilot project extending the Cercanías commuter rail service from Brinkola and Irun in Basque Country across the border to Hendaye, with services expected to begin in October. According to the Spanish Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, the necessary operating authorisations for Renfe‘s Class 446 and 447 trains on the cross-border section have already been extended, as has the linguistic exemption required for drivers operating the service.
The agreement reverses earlier plans by SNCF Réseau to convert tracks 101 and 102 at Hendaye entirely to standard gauge, a move that would have prevented Iberian-gauge passenger trains from serving the station. While the French infrastructure manager still intends to install a third rail allowing Iberian-gauge freight trains to continue using the station, Spain has argued that passenger services should also be preserved.
According to the ministry, Renfe prepared several alternative proposals in 2025 that would retain the Iberian-gauge infrastructure while minimising the impact on SNCF Réseau’s redevelopment plans. The Spanish government also pointed out that, under the cross-border agreement between the Spanish railway safety authority (AESF) and its French counterpart (EPSF), any technical modifications to the affected tracks would require Spain’s consent.
Wider cross-border cooperation
Beyond Hendaye, both countries also reviewed progress on the Atlantic and Mediterranean sections of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), with Santano stressing the need for Spain and France to better synchronise infrastructure investment on either side of the border.
Discussions also covered the modernisation of the Zaragoza – Canfranc – Pau railway, the planned reopening of the Somport rail tunnel and future standard-gauge connections to Zaragoza’s Plaza logistics platform. The meeting also addressed the wider operation of international passenger services and ways to encourage new cross-border routes.
Jon Worth: “A remarkable turnaround”
Independent railway commentator Jon Worth described the agreement as a remarkable turnaround after years of stagnation.
Writing on his blog, Worth noted that until recently the broad-gauge tracks at Hendaye had been “rusting and with bushes growing”, while travellers could only cross the border by changing to the narrow-gauge Euskotren between Hendaye and Irun Colón stations.
He said the decision to keep the Iberian-gauge tracks means trains will once again operate across the border instead of leaving the infrastructure unused. Worth described the development as restoring the situation that existed during the 2010s, when Renfe trains served Hendaye while SNCF trains continued to Irun, calling it “exactly as it should be”.
More improvements on the horizon
Worth also pointed to further improvements already in the pipeline. From the December timetable change, SNCF Voyageurs‘ TGV inOui services from Paris are expected to continue beyond Hendaye to Irun using the existing standard-gauge tracks. In the longer term, once dual-gauge infrastructure between Irun and Donostia / San Sebastián is completed, both TGV inOui and TER Nouvelle-Aquitaine regional trains could be extended further into Spain.
He believes the renewed cooperation at Hendaye is also having positive effects on the Mediterranean border crossing between Cerbère and Portbou. Progress on approving newer SNCF Régiolis trains for operation into Spain and work on simplifying language requirements for train drivers could improve regional services there and may even allow international night trains to return to Portbou.
Challenges remain
However, Worth cautioned that significant challenges remain. He criticised the limited number of daily services on the high-speed line between Figueres and Perpignan and said improvements on the Barcelona to Latour-de-Carol route will only become apparent once ongoing reconstruction work is completed. The long-discussed reopening of the Canfranc international railway also still depends on political agreement and funding.
Nevertheless, Worth argued that simultaneous progress on two of the four rail corridors between France and Spain demonstrates that cross-border railway problems can be solved when governments are willing to cooperate. In his view, once political commitment exists, most of the technical obstacles can be overcome.
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