Spain to finance railway construction in Tenerife: agreement signed

Important news for railways in Tenerife! The Spanish government has given the "green light" to funding the construction of railways in the south and north of the island. On September 4, an agreement was signed guaranteeing that money for this will be allocated from the state budget.

Simply put, the state, the government of the Canary Islands, and local authorities in Tenerife have agreed on how the new railway lines will be built. This should help solve the problem of traffic jams, especially in the south and north of the island.

The southern railway, which will connect San Isidro and Costa Adeje, will be the first to be built. Work is scheduled to begin in late 2027 – early 2028.

Funding from the state will be stable and long-term. But first, the local authorities of Tenerife must update the projects of both railways, as they are already outdated, and obtain new construction permits, taking into account the impact on the environment. So far, the agreement only concerns the southern project, but the authorities are working to add the northern one as well.

Government officials who signed the agreement say it is a "historic" and "decisive" step. This means that the state has finally recognized the importance of railways for the transport system of the Canary Islands.

The Minister of Territorial Policy of the Canary Islands, Ángel Víctor Torres, emphasized that railways will help make transport more environmentally friendly. "We need a railway system that takes up as little space as possible to improve transport for more than two million local residents and 15 million tourists who visit us every year," he said.

The Minister also mentioned a document from 1909, which already mentioned the need for a railway in Tenerife.

Representative of the Ministry of Transport of Spain, José Antonio Santano, noted that this agreement corrects the fact that the Canary Islands were previously excluded from the national railway network.

"This is a historic moment, as the state is committed to developing railways in the Canary Islands," Santano assured. He added that the government has already invested 50 million euros in the preparation and updating of projects in Tenerife and Gran Canaria.

According to Santano, the future railways will connect different parts of the island, facilitate travel between cities and open up new economic opportunities.

The President of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, stated that thanks to this agreement, "railways in the Canary Islands have become closer to reality than ever before." He recalled that the tram, which is now a common mode of transport, was once criticized as well. "But reality has shown that we need modern transport systems in Tenerife, where there are already almost a million inhabitants," said Clavijo.

The President of the local authorities of Tenerife, Rosa Dávila, spoke about the status of the southern and northern railway projects. The southern one will be the first, because it is where the population is growing the most and there are the most tourists.

Currently, the authorities are updating construction projects and assessing the impact on the environment. The most advanced is the project for the San Isidro – Adeje section, which will cost about 950 million euros. The tender for the works is expected to be announced before the beginning of 2028.

In total, the southern railway will cost about 2.5 billion euros. According to Rosa Dávila, it will allow you to get from Santa Cruz to Adeje in just 39 minutes.

One of the reasons for the delay in the project is the decision to add a stop at Tenerife South Airport. "We are cooperating with Aena, the company that manages the airport, to adapt this stop to the airport's reconstruction," said Rosa Dávila. In a future agreement with the state, a project for the northern railway between Santa Cruz and Los Realejos will be developed, with the possibility of extension to Icod de los Vinos.