Lisbon-Madrid rail link, now taking 5 hours, is set to be completed by 2030.

The governments of Portugal and Spain and the European Commission have agreed on a set of actions that will allow progress on the rail link between Lisbon and Madrid by 2030, with a five-hour journey time, the Ministry of Infrastructure announced this Thursday.

"Portugal and Spain have taken a decisive step towards bringing the Iberian capitals even closer together, with the definition of a set of concrete actions that will allow the establishment of rail links between Lisbon and Madrid by 2030, with a travel time of around 5 hours, and a high-speed link — around 3 hours — by 2034," the ministry led by Miguel Pinto Luz informed in a statement.

The “Iberian strategy” aims to achieve, by 2030, a direct link between the two capitals, the completion of the works on the new high-speed line between Évora and Caia by 2025 and its entry into operation in 2026, the entry into operation of the Plasencia-Talayuela (Cáceres) section by 2028, the start of construction of the second track between Poceirão (Palmela) and Bombel (Vendas Novas) in 2026, with completion by 2029 and operation in 2030, and also the completion of studies for the new Lisbon-Évora line, including the Third Crossing over the Tagus River, by 2027.