The Bidasoa ( Spanish: [biðaˈsoa] ; French : Bidassoa , pronounced [bidasɔa] ) is a river in the Basque Country of northern Spain and southern France that runs largely south to north. Named as such downstream of the village of Oronoz-Mugairi (municipality of Baztan ) in the province of Navarre , the river actually results from the merger of several streams near the village Erratzu , with the stream Baztan that rises at the north-eastern side of the mount Autza (1,306 m) being considered the source of the Bidasoa. It joins the Cantabrian Sea ( Bay of Biscay ) between the towns of Hendaye and Hondarribia .
26-686: The river is best known for establishing the borderline at its lower tract. This stretch is crossed not only by aircraft at low height but by important European communication axes, namely AP8 E5 E80 - E70 A63 (motorway, connection at the Biriatu toll), main roads N1 - N10 (connection at the roundabout of Saizar by the river) and major French and Spanish railway networks,— Renfe and SNCF . Besides these major lines, other regional ones cross it too, e.g. regional railway EuskoTren (terminus in Hendaye ) and another double bridge (pedestrians/vehicles) joining
52-478: A special meaning: Travel tickets are available from rail stations and online. In 2023 the European Commission initiated an investigation into concerns that Renfe might have been abusing its dominant position in the online ticketing market by refusing to share journey time information with competing ticketing websites. Renfe offered a number of commitments intended to address these concerns, which
78-583: A species of the Ebro , Chondrostoma miegii , has been introduced in the last 30–40 years on the lower tract of the Bidasoa, thereafter extending gradually upstream. As a result, overfishing has become a major problem for the river's fauna, with special pressure put on salmon migrating upstream to spawn. They do not make it to their goal and die before spawning, either falling prey to fishers' bait or an inability to overcome hydroelectric power stations (128 over all
104-587: Is about half their length. Male Platichthys have been found up to 130 km (80 mi) off the coast of northern Sardinia, sometimes with heavy encrustations of various species of barnacle . Fluke, a type of flounder, are being farm raised in open water by Mariculture Technologies in Greenport, New York. World stocks of large predatory fish and large ground fish, including sole and flounder, were estimated in 2003 to be only about 10% of pre-industrial levels, largely due to overfishing . Most overfishing
130-479: Is generally termed "European gauge" in Spain. Construction of a high-speed rail line between Madrid and Seville began in 1988 and began operations in 1991, going 300 km/h (190 mph). The second high-speed rail line (Madrid to Barcelona ) was completed in 2007 with the inaugural service commencing on 20 February 2008. The operational speed on this route is 350 km/h (220 mph). The greater part of
156-426: The nationalisation of Spain's railways. As per EU Directive 91/440 , Renfe was divided into Renfe Operadora (operations) and ADIF (infrastructure) on 1 January 2005. At the same time, the existing Renfe logo (nicknamed the "galleta", Spanish for biscuit), first introduced in 1971, was replaced by a dark purple lower-case wordmark designed by Interbrand. Separate logos used by the other sectors were also replaced, but
182-603: The Bidasoa all along. The Navarrese tract of the river is a preferred destination for fishing enthusiasts, the river being home to several native fish species, namely eel ( Anguilla anguilla ), salmon ( Salmo palar ), trout ( Salmo trutta ), bullhead ( Cottus gobio ), Barbatula barbatula , Phoxinus phoxinus , gudgeon ( Gobio lozanoi ), sea lamprey ( Petromyzon marinus ), allis shad ( Alosa alosa ), flounder ( Platichthys flesus ) and grey mullet ( Chelon labrosus ), some of them declared endangered species and highly interesting (especially bullhead and salmon). Moreover,
208-681: The European Commission made legally binding in January 2024 under the EU's competition rules. Flounder Flounders are a group of flatfish species. They are demersal fish , found at the bottom of oceans around the world; some species will also enter estuaries . The name "flounder" is used for several only distantly related species, though all are in the suborder Pleuronectoidei (families Achiropsettidae , Bothidae , Pleuronectidae , Paralichthyidae , and Samaridae ). Some of
234-462: The better known species that are important in fisheries are: Larval flounder are born with one eye on each side of their head, but as they grow from the larval to juvenile stage through metamorphosis , one eye migrates to the other side of the body. As a result, both eyes are then on the side which faces up. The side to which the eyes migrate is dependent on the species type. As an adult, a flounder changes its habits and camouflages itself by lying on
260-415: The bottom of the ocean floor as protection against predators. Flounders ambush their prey, feeding at soft muddy areas of the sea bottom, near bridge piles, docks, and coral reefs. A flounder's diet consists mainly of fish spawn, crustaceans , polychaetes and small fish. Flounder typically grow to a length of 22–60 centimeters (8.7–23.6 in), and as large as 95 centimeters (37 in). Their width
286-513: The boundary between the Basque provinces of Gipuzkoa and Labourd . In line with the distribution of the river's length, the bulk of its watershed's area lies on Navarre (684 km or 264 sq mi). The basin holds 105 permanent streams and rivers that number 497 km (309 mi), the region being drenched in rains regularly. The Navarrese side of the basin (rural landscape) is inhabited by 22,000 inhabitants. 70% of its population have
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#1732765921185312-485: The course) and the 114 related dams, since 63% of them prevent migratory fish from achieving their purpose. Schemes by the Regional Government of Navarre are underway with a view to handling the issue. Renfe Renfe ( Spanish pronunciation: [ˈreɱfe] , Eastern Catalan: [ˈreɱfə] ), officially Renfe-Operadora , is Spain 's national state-owned railway company. It
338-701: The firing of the executives deemed responsible. Fortunately, the trains were still being designed, however the Cercanía commuter trains will be delayed until 2026. Subsequently, transport officials including the president of Renfe and the Secretary of State for Transport resigned. In November 2024, Renfe bought a 33% shareholding in Arenaways . Renfe-Operadora utilises the following rolling stock and commercial products inside of its two divisions: All classes are designated by three numbers. The first digit has
364-658: The first stage of a high-speed line in Galicia opened in 2011. A line to Lisbon is being designed. Other lines operated by Renfe include Euromed , a moderate-speed line between Barcelona and Alicante. In addition to intercity transport, Renfe operates commuter train systems, known as Cercanías (or Rodalies in Catalonia and Cercanías-Aldirikoak in the Basque Country), in eleven metropolitan areas, including Madrid and Barcelona. In some cities, Renfe shares
390-455: The line (Madrid to Lleida ) was entered service on 11 October 2003, with a connection to Huesca from Zaragoza . The third high-speed line (Madrid to Toledo ) was opened in November 2005, followed by a spur from Córdoba to Málaga as far as Antequera in 2007. Another high-speed route from Madrid to Valladolid was opened in 2007. A line from Madrid to Valencia was opened in 2010, and
416-434: The main business units into four general directorates: In June 2013, Renfe's board agreed to restructure the group into four separate companies under the holding company: The company operates some 12,000 km (7,500 mi) of railways, 7,000 km (4,300 mi) of them electrified. Most of the tracks are constructed to the broad Iberian gauge of 1,668 mm ( 5 ft 5 + 21 ⁄ 32 in ),
442-655: The market with other commuter railway operators, such as FGC . In 2019, Renfe solicited bids for 31 new trains for the Asturias and Cantabria regions and the €258m contract was awarded to the CAF ( Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles ) in June 2020. Around February 2023, authorities discovered the designs were for the wrong loading gauge and would be too wide for the tunnels. Amidst international embarrassment, Renfe and ADIF each tried to deflect responsibility, and some called for
468-518: The minor San Sebastian Airport serving domestic flights and currently mired in controversy over its lengthening and upgrading scheme. The river comprises an area of linguistic contact, so it is pronounced differently depending on the language, namely [biˈdas̺oa] in Basque , [biðaˈsoa] in Spanish , and [bidasoa] in French . Linguistic and historic research point to
494-441: The name stemming from Latin phrase "Via ad Oiassonem" (later corrupting into Basque "Bidasoa") on account of the road that linked at Roman times Basque town Pompaelo with Oiasso , which may have run along the river. The Bidasoa flows through much of its 66 km (41 mi) length over Navarrese territory, except for the last 10 km (6.2 mi), where it establishes the borderline between France and Spain, as well as
520-427: The old Renfe logo remains in use in some stations in Spain and on maps to indicate an ADIF station. The Railway Sector Act, 2003 separated the management, maintenance and construction of rail infrastructure from train operation. The first activity is now the responsibility of Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias (ADIF), while the newly created Renfe-Operadora (also known as Grupo Renfe or simply Renfe) owns
546-466: The rolling stock and remains responsible for the planning, marketing and operation of the passenger and freight services. Renfe no longer has a monopoly on domestic passenger services due to Ouigo España launching in 2021, followed by Iryo in 2022. Renfe-Operadora inherited the management model of the old Renfe, which made Renfe-Operadora responsible for the operation of the passenger and freight services. In January 2006, Renfe-Operadora restructured
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#1732765921185572-522: The same as that used in Portugal but wider than the international gauge of 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ) which is standard in most of the rest of the world. The newer high-speed ( AVE ) network has been built to the international standard gauge of 1,435 mm for the connection to the rest of the European railway system. For this reason, the 1,435 mm gauge
598-511: The sewage treated before spilling to the river. But for the first 15-odd kilometres, the river clings to the north to south disposition of other neighbouring rivers of Gipuzkoa joining the Bay of Biscay , e.g. Urumea , Oria , etc. Strengthened by the waters harvested from the sides of the pass of Belate, downstream of Doneztebe the river heads north and crosses the town of Bera at the north end of Navarre before entering Gipuzkoa at Endarlatsa. From
624-556: The town of Doneztebe on, the main road N-121 runs along till the roundabout across the river from the toll of Biriatu by the AP-8 (motorway). Next comes the quarter Behobia and the major towns on the shores of the estuary. The main tributaries of the Bidasoa are the minor rivers Zeberia (length 10.80 km (6.71 mi)), Ezkurra (20.90 km (12.99 mi)), Latsa (11.10 km (6.90 mi)) and Endara (9.90 km (6.15 mi)). Additionally, further small rivers and streams feed
650-430: The towns on the border, i.e. the historical Santiago Bridge ( Way of St. James ). At this stage of the river, urban landscape prevails (built-up area). Before pouring its waters into the ocean, it forms a bay called Txingudi located between these towns and Irun , the site being designated Wetland of International Importance in 2002, with a total area of 1.28 km (0.49 sq mi). The banks of Hondarribia hold
676-501: Was created in 2005 upon the split of the former Spanish National Railway Network (RENFE) into the Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias (ADIF), which inherited the infrastructure, and Renfe-Operadora, which inherited the railway service. The name "Renfe" (acronym of Re d N acional de los F errocarriles E spañoles ) is derived from that of the former Spanish National Railway Network created on 24 January 1941 with
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