Currently, Spanish freight trains cannot run on the Pajares variant even when the line is open to commercial traffic. They will remain unable to operate there if the European rail traffic management system ERTMS, required by community regulations for high speed track tunnels such as the line between La Robla and Pola de Lena, is adopted. To address this, Spanish authorities together with the State Railway Safety Agency AESF and the Association of Private Railway Companies AEFP are negotiating with the European Commission for an exception. The aim is to allow navigation through Bypass using the digital ASFA driving assistance system, which provides Signal Announcement and Automatic Braking guidance. This system is already ready for all freight trains in the country. Officials believe a permit will be issued in time for the Bypass to open to commercial traffic in November.
The objective is to save time. The first freight trains that can operate with ERTMS will not reach Spain before 2025, and the standardization of the fleet will take about three more years, according to Juan Diego Pedrero, head of AEFP. Brussels is expected to permit the use of digital ASFA during this transition phase. Pedrero sees the exception as the practical, in principle only solution to the challenge. He refuses to adopt a pessimistic view, noting that the EU cannot exclude freight trains from the Alternative.
Pedrero explains that both systems, ERTMS and digital ASFA, are equally effective and reliable. He stresses that there will be no traffic impact and that the issue is not unique to the Bypass. Similar situations will arise on other high speed sections where passenger and freight trains must share the line, such as the stretch between Figueras and Perpignan. This problem has appeared in several European countries as well.
The AEFP chief remains optimistic that Brussels will grant a special temporary permit before the new rail access from Asturias to Meseta opens in November. The assurance offered is that goods will not continue to circulate on the Pajares ramp once the Variant is opened, a point Pedrero emphasizes strongly. He states that the idea of keeping Pajares ramp solely for freight has already been considered and then dismissed, with the current plan focusing on goods moving over the Variant. Common sense, he says, is prevailing in the discussions.
Digital ASFA, already used as a driver aid on some high speed lines, enables speeds up to 220 kilometers per hour and delivers in-cabin information on maximum speeds, deviations, and stop signals. In reality, freight traffic on the Bypass is expected to move far slower than that ceiling, with several studies suggesting speeds well under 100 kilometers per hour for most freight convoys. The goal is safe and efficient movement rather than maximum track speed, ensuring smooth coexistence of passenger and freight services.