Overview
- Central, regional, and Bilbao city officials agreed to drop a provisional AVE stop in Basauri and send high‑speed trains directly into Abando station without burying the tracks first.
- The underground rebuild of Abando, known locally as the soterramiento, will move to a later phase while trains begin using an at‑grade approach into the city center.
- Mobility chief Susana García said the shift buys time now without giving up on the future underground station.
- No timetable was offered for the first AVE service to Bilbao, and commentary in the Basque press suggests completion could plausibly slip beyond 2030, even as Spain’s transport secretary has spoken of service before 2033.
- Putting Abando underground would open about 130,000 square meters for parks, services, and roughly 1,000 homes, and demand forecasts expect about half of all trips to be within the Basque cities, which heightens pressure to deliver reliable dates.