Choose the right train journey and rail travel is not only relaxing but a holiday in itself. And that’s certainly the case with the Pajares rail tunnel in northwest Spain which has been 20 years in construction.
The now uninterrupted journey will whisk you from glacial lakes to stunning seaside vistas, forming part of the almost 50km Pajares Bypass between La Robla in León to Pola de Lena in Asturias.
The route serves both passenger and freight traffic and features 12 tunnels cutting through the Cantabrian Mountain Range, along with 10 viaducts.
Asturias is famous for beautiful coastlines and an array of cute fishing villages and seafood restaurants – including 11 places to eat which boast one or two Michelin stars.
In the heart of the area’s Cantabrian Mountains is the Las Ubiñas-La Mesa which is a UNESCO-designated biosphere reserve.
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It provides sanctuary for rare and threatened plants and animals – including brown bears and the western capercaillie grouse.
Asturias is also home to Picos de Europa National Park which is a nature reserve famed for the glacial Covadonga lakes.
Those who love travelling the length and breadth of Spain are delighted at the news and have taken to travel review website Tripadvisor to share their thoughts.
One said: “Great news.
“This is a breakthrough project that took too many years to accomplish, but it will revive Asturias and make it closer to the rest of the country.
“It is amazing to read about a tunnel almost 25 kilometers long and other achievements of the workers and engineers engaged in this project.”
They added that it was “almost incredible” that a train ride from Madrid to Oviedo will now take two and a half hours – reducing the travel time to Madrid by over an hour.
Another added: “This is fantastic news and is making me rethink some of my plans for getting around northern Spain next year.”
The Spanish government hopes it will help reduce CO2 emissions by making it more tempting to travel by train rather than via a plane journey.