The Cabildo of Tenerife, through Metrotenerife, has initiated an international competition to develop an alternative railway system in the northern region of the Island. This initiative seeks to explore the available solutions within the sector and pinpoint proposals that seamlessly blend with Tenerife’s landscape while enhancing sustainable and efficient mobility, as stated in an official release.
The deadline for application submissions is set for January 31, with the selection process expected to unfold over approximately 20 months from the announcement date of January 3. As outlined in the guidelines, this contest is conducted anonymously and limited to a maximum of 10 submissions, alongside a financial prize pool of 450,000 euros, to be allocated among participants as various compensatory awards and final payments for the primary development of the ultimately chosen solution.
TF-5 Corridor
According to the technical criteria, the objective of the contract is to evaluate “whether the global state of the art in guided public transport systems permits the establishment of an alternative to a conventional railway framework, allowing for rational and adequate passenger transport in North Tenerife, commencing from Santa Cruz and ideally following the existing corridor of the TF-5 motorway without compromising its capacity and facilitating potential expansion to three lanes in each direction of traffic between Guamasa and Los Realejos.”
To achieve this, the document specifies that contemporary guided railway systems need to be examined to determine which would be most suitable to meet the outlined requirements, ensuring acceptable standards regarding travel times, execution costs, maintenance, and environmental impact. The feasibility of constructing such a system must also be assessed while keeping current transport and infrastructure operational.
The aim is to investigate the implementation of this guided collective transport system that minimally impacts the territory, optimising existing transport facilities while retaining high transport capacity and consistency with the socio-economic model of the Island.
The competition includes a concluding phase in which the drafting of the feasibility study for the most well-positioned alternative railway system will be awarded.