Brussels, 13/01/2011 (Agence Europe) - In a communiqué published on Wednesday 12 January, Gaston Franco (EPP, France) highlights the need for European aid to speed up the construction of a high speed rail line (TGV/HST) between Barcelona and Genoa. Gaston Franco above all suggests that the project for this route be included among the priority projects of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). “Before the European Commission presents the new guidelines and roadmap for the future TEN-T in summer 2011, I plan to do everything I can to ensure the Barcelona-Genoa rail axis has the attention it deserves”, so that the TEN-T is balanced in the south opening up the Mediterranean, Franco said. He went on to add that he had set up a pressure group with Spanish, French and Italian MEPs from the EPP in order to “heighten the European transport commissioner's awareness of the problem”. He welcomed the project for a new high speed train link between Nice and Genoa and then Milan. The objective of Nice, as proposed on 10 January by the Mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, is to have a TGV link between Genoa and Ventimiglia, foreseen for 2018. This link would allow the Ligurian capital to be reached in 1 hour 15 minutes by 2020 compared to 3 hours 15 minutes at present. In time, Milan would be no more than three and a half hours from Nice. (A.By./transl.jl)