The tram that the Generalitat promotes in Camp de Tarragona will have some sections with catenary between Cambrils and Vila-seca for technical reasons.
According to sources from the Department of Territory, the trains will need overhead power supply in some areas to complete the planned 15 kilometers. Territori technicians and city councils are analyzing where it will be installed, with the desire to prioritize interurban areas. As for the second phase, which will link Reus and Tarragona, the Generalitat is studying the allegations presented by the councils and it is expected that between January and February they will be resolved to transfer the project to Acció Climàtica to make the environmental impact declaration.
The first phase of the Camp de Tarragona tram will connect Cambrils and Vila-seca, mainly along the old railway line.
The construction project is currently being completed, which is very advanced and is expected to be completed at the end of the first quarter of 2024. Precisely the sections without catenary are the ones that are taking the most work, as Territori has admitted.
The main drawback is that the entire route could not be covered with train batteries alone and, therefore, electrical power will be necessary.
Once the construction project is closed, the next step will be to tender the works. A procedure that we want to complete before the summer so that work can begin at the end of the year. The Government’s objective is for the tram to enter service at the end of 2026.
Another obstacle that has existed until now is the purchase of trains. The first bid was not completed because both offers were not satisfactory: one because the price proposed by the company was much higher than that set by Territori and the other because the material offered did not meet the technical requirements. At the beginning of the year, presumably in January, a new bid will be published with a higher price that is more in line with the market.
The second phase of the project plans to link Reus and Tarragona, through Vila-seca and La Canonja. The town councils presented allegations to Territori’s first informative study, which the Department is now finishing analyzing.
Once the report is ready, it will be sent to the general directorate of environmental quality to make the environmental impact declaration, around the month of February. Afterwards it will be necessary to carry out the construction project.
The Department assures that with the city council of Reus the “harmony is total”, while with the case of Tarragona some issues are being just discussed as a result of a “change of vision” of the new municipal government team.
The main aspects to be agreed upon are the arrival of the tram to the area around Plaza Imperial Tarraco and the connection with the current Renfe station. With Canonja and Vila-seca, the transit areas are also just being defined exactly.
