After 20 years of construction, the Pajares rail tunnel in northwest Spain is finally open and will offer travellers new routes to Asturias.
The €4 billion (R82 billion) project provides high-speed train connections to the province of Asturias, reducing the travel time to and from Madrid by over an hour, reports euronews.com.
The 25km Parajes Base Tunnel is the seventh-longest in Europe and forms part of the almost 50km-long Parajes Bypass between Pola de Lena in Asturias and La Robla in Leon.
The bypass features 12 tunnels and 10 viaducts through the Cantabrian Mountain Range. The Parajes Base Tunnel is expected to decrease carbon emissions by shortening train routes, making it a more sustainable option than air travel.
