What goes around….
The 08.41 from Oloron arrives in Bedous a little late and, I notice, a bit grubby. But, after waiting thirty-six years for this particular passenger train, it doesn’t seem to matter. There is a sense of jubilation along the platform that rather surprises me as I am aware that there are many in the valley who thought the whole project of re-establishing the railway was a waste of money. Once the decision had been made, largely due to the enthusiasm of Alain Rousset, president of the newly enlarged region of “Aquitaine, Limousin, Poitou-Charentes” , work to rebuild the line was carried out at a breath-taking pace. For this we must take our hats off to the original engineers and craftsmen who, at the turn of the century, built tunnels, viaducts and retaining walls of such quality that, a century later, they required hardly any extra work in order to conform to modern standards. For the line to function in the twenty-first century it needed to comply with European norms of health and of safety. So, for example, along the valley, where the road and rail come together, advanced technology had been employed to eliminate the risk of HGVs toppling in front of an unstoppable train. The station is disability-friendly with textured paving on the platform for the visually impaired, timetables in braille and trains allowing wheelchair access without assistance. A notice board provides phone numbers advising the public of how to report a problem. Alain Rousset on the platform This morning, passengers disembark to the sound of a choir belting out a traditional song in Béarnaise. Cameras are clicking; people are clapping. An all-female theatre group from Pau, mobs Rousset in a parody of rock star groupies. They line up to kiss him, reach out to touch him as he passes. In his turn, he performs like a consummate politician, smiling, going along with it, even though he is on his way to a TV interview, live from the platform. The vision, he says, is to drive the project all the way though to Spain. With freight trains and people going directly to Saragossa, he describes the project as an “investment of the century”. It’s a risky vision, he concedes, but insists that it’s value will be judged in the long term, not over a few days. In the station yard, the people of the valley and beyond have turned out in force in order to represent their businesses, their organisations (such as the Friends of Canfranc Estatione), local industries like EDF hydro-electric, forestry, tourism and, of course, there is the buvette. The end of the line… for now?