TAV drilling in Aralar will begin "immediately," according to Santano

Drilling for hydrogeological samplesassociated with the high-speed train in the Sierra de Aralar will soon begin. For the TAV section between Ezkio-Itsaso and Pamplona, these samples will determine the environmental impact of the tunnel to be excavated under the mountain range.

This is the announcement made this Tuesday by the Secretary of State for Transport and Sustainable Mobility, José Antonio Santano, during the signing of the agreement for the construction of the new station and its connection with the railway network in the vicinity of Gipuzkoa in Astigarraga (Gipuzkoa). "We hope to start immediately; it may be now or after the summer," he said.

Santano has said that talks with the owners of the land where the drilling will take place, both with the municipalities and with the private owners, are very advanced and are taking place in "good cooperation" , adding that they have spoken to everyone and "things are clear and orderly".

Asked about the duration of the drilling work, the Secretary of State said it would last "several months." He explained that some are about 300 metres deep.

However, he has admitted that they want to "avoid giving big details because we want to avoid the problems that have arisen so far."

Finally, he expects the technical reportsto be made after these samples for the beginning of next year. "If we do the drilling work this year and the beginning of next year, in the first part of the year, maybe in spring."