Spain’s Vias Verdes Program Converts Old Rail Lines to Hiking Trails
Spain’s Vias Verdes Program Converts Old Rail Lines to Hiking Trails
Spain’s extensive network of protected natural areas supersedes that of any other European country and is in third position worldwide, behind only the United States and the Russian Federation. The country’s well-preserved biodiversity and wildlife protected areas include 14 national parks, 135 natural parks, 10 marine reserves as well as 38 nature reserves.
Spain continues its efforts to promote greener ways to travel with the help of the Vías Verdes Program. The program, translated literally as “greenways,” encompasses re-purposing and redesign of unused railway lines into trails for walkers, joggers and cyclists.
Similar to Manhattan’s High Line or the Illinois Prairie Path, Spain’s Vías Verdes added over 1,110 miles of trail passages to those existing in Spain naturally. The trails, located throughout the country, vary in length, providing an option for travelers in search of an active outdoor challenge or those looking for a leisurely stroll.
from the mile-long Paseo Itsaslur Greenway in Bizkaia that offers views of the Basque Country shoreline, to the 46-mile Sierra de Alcaraz Greenway in Albacete (Castilla La Mancha region) that will take you through parts of the Don Quixote Route and the meadows of the rivers Jardín and Cubillo, the flat and even surface of Vías Verdes assures seamless travel for those on foot or a bike.
Recently, the Spanish Railway Foundation in collaboration with the Biodiversity Foundation and Ferrovial, one of the world’s leading developers of transport infrastructure, launched a campaign titled “Greenways, Zero CO2” to emphasize the environmentally friendly facet of such programs as the Vías Verdes.
The campaign, set to finish at the end of October, stresses the need for the development of alternative, non-motorized infrastructure options to reduce CO2 emissions, promote sustainable patterns of mobility and preserve biodiversity. There are more than 80 itineraries available on the program’s website.
