In Spain, there is strong opposition to the tunnel under Gaudí's temple

Madrid - More than a hundred representatives from Spanish universities have already signed a petition against the planned construction of a railway tunnel that is to run under the famous Sagrada Familia temple in Barcelona. This was stated at a press conference in Madrid today by architect Jordi Bonet i Armengol, who is overseeing the finishing works on the temple started by the famous Antonio Gaudí in 1882.
    "We have gathered signatures from more than a hundred professors," said Bonet.
    Opponents of the tunnel are concerned that the vibrations during its construction and then during operation could seriously damage the foundations of the temple, which is visited by over two and a half million tourists from around the world each year. The tunnel, intended for high-speed trains, is to run directly under Gaudí's temple, whose towers rise up to 170 meters high and which is the most visited monument in Spain.
    The new railway is to connect Barcelona with Madrid and, via Girona, provide a link to the French high-speed TGV network. Although the tunnel is to lie several dozen meters below the surface, some Spanish experts do not rule out the possibility that due to the unstable terrain in the area, there could be a destructive impact of train operation on Gaudí's structure.
    "We hope that simple common sense will lead to the conclusion that the tunnel construction will not start," said Bonet.
    According to Joan Rigola i Roig, the chairman of the consortium tasked with completing the temple, it is clear that there are other alternatives for the high-speed railway route. If the consortium fails to prevent the construction of the tunnel under the church, "we will initiate legal proceedings," Rigol warned.
    However, the tunnel currently exists only on paper; a construction schedule has yet to be set, and the project has not yet received approval from the Ministry of Infrastructure, noted Adif, the company tasked with building the railway network in Spain.