Andorra advances tram sectoral plan with 2026 approval target

The Minister of Territory and Urban Planning, Raül Ferré, told the General Council that work on a segregated public-transport system is progressing through four planned phases: an initial diagnosis, an implementation study (currently under way), the drafting of a sectoral plan, and supporting tasks for its approval. The government expects the sectoral plan to be finalised and approved before 31 December 2026.

Ferré said the administration is working with the affected parishes—Andorra la Vella, Sant Julià de Lòria and Escaldes‑Engordany—to finalise a possible tram route and to identify the urban‑planning and land needs the infrastructure will entail. He said the sectoral plan will define exactly which parcels are required and enable the later preparation of technical and construction projects, which are expected to follow in 2027.

On how to secure private land, Ferré rejected resorting to expropriation as a standard approach. He said the government will seek agreements with owners in coordination with the communes, citing the Massana diversion and Ordino works as precedents where land needs were resolved through negotiation rather than expropriation. He acknowledged that provisional route options affect private parcels and stressed the intention to proceed “with care” to avoid mistakes.

Cerni Escalé, president of the Concòrdia parliamentary group, pressed for more clarity on which lands would be classified as non‑developable and on the intermediate steps before the sectoral plan’s approval. He also asked whether the executive project is being prepared in parallel with the sectoral plan; Ferré said the process cannot be accelerated and that the phases must be completed in the planned order.

Separately, Ferré updated the council on an EU‑funded POCTEFA project studying a segregated connection between Sant Julià de Lòria and la Seu d’Urgell. The project application was submitted in October 2024, the subsidy was awarded in October 2025, and the studies are under way with a target completion date of October 2027. Ferré said the Generalitat of Catalonia has shown “special interest” because of the daily flow of travellers between the two towns.

On the prospect of a rail connection beyond the Pyrenees to Barcelona, Ferré reiterated that technical conclusions indicate such a link is not viable, arguing it would not substantially reduce travel times or deliver a meaningful benefit to the population.

Escalé urged the government to speed up the tram project, saying it has been discussed for years without decisive progress and that the executive project—the component he called most important for deployment—will not be ready within the current legislature. He warned that Andorra’s mobility situation is unsustainable and urged the administration to prioritise real alternatives to private cars. Ferré responded that the government is committed to advancing the project but asked for patience, stressing the need to carry out the work step by step.