Page 187 - 360.revista de Alta Velocidad - Nº 6

Processes, urban impact and evaluation of the high-speed rail in the city of Zaragoza, Spain.

Although there were many different opinions referred to the station location, a consensus
rose about burying the rail line across the city, improving the pedestrian connection
of the two neighborhoods. The College of Architects proposed to remove the railway
infrastructure in Delicias and relocate all of them in the new logistic platform called
PLAZA, located in the periphery and next to the highway and the airport.

The Office for the Master Plan Revision reported in April 1998 that the station should
stay in El Portillo area to provide direct access to the city center for the HSR travelers,
reinforcing the role of Zaragoza as a nodal point of the line. The location in Avenida de
Navarra allowed to create a new public and central space in El Portillo, but moved the
station one kilometer away the center. For the City planners, the central location of the
new HSR was a priority.

The Advance proposed to formalize an Agreement with the National Administration for
the removal in different phases of the railway infrastructure and the urban planning of
the land released of the rail uses to create a new area of centrality in El Portillo area and
surroundings, emphasized by the burying of the rail line and new station tracks. About
to lower the tracks the plan suggested asking for a consulting to decide the best way to
solve the question.

8. The Advance of the Master Plan of Zaragoza in 1998. A strategic change

In September 1998, the Advance was approved. In this document the City decided to fix
the location of the Intermodal Station in the western part of the railway land, in Avenue
of Navarre. The new building was going to be a totally new station next to the small
existing one and, at the same time, the rail line would be buried across El Portillo area.
This decision was made, apparently, after realizing the technical difficulties of lowering
the tracks level.

Luisa Fernanda Rudi, the mayor of Zaragoza at that time, was reluctant to bury the tracks
because of the cost. Due to public pressure, she dealt with the Ministry of Public Works
agreeing to make a false tunnel covering the rails and changing the location of the HSR
station. This decision allowed killing two birds with one stone. On one side, the city
could close the urban scar tunneling the rail and please citizens. This option also allowed
building the station while maintaining the rail services. On the other side, it was possible
to reclassify land to make the operation more profitable, supporting the speculative
operation with technical reasons.

The main goal of the operation was now to leverage the relocation to develop a vast new
area of centrality since El Portillo, like a hinge between the Centre and Delicias. The
new station was conceived as an intermodal centre that included the HSR, the commuter
train, and intercity buses, also well connected to public transport lines. The pedestrian
accessibility between the two neighborhoods of Almozara and Delicias should be a must.
The document also cited that “the new intermodal centre should have a high grade of
representation due to its catalyst function of the urban transformation.”

El Portillo area was now liberated of any rail infrastructure and had the possibility to
create a large public space whit different uses. The urban transformation should also
transform the existing highway in a new urban avenue allowing the pedestrian level
crossing and creating multiple transversal connections between the two neighborhoods.
The urban design should be defined in further detailed urban projects.

International Congress on High-speed Rail: Technologies and Long Term Impacts - Ciudad Real (Spain) - 25th anniversary Madrid-Sevilla corridor 185