He Council of Ministers This Tuesday, he authorized the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility to bid for 29.67 million euros (excluding VAT), through Adif, work to adapt the tunnels to the size necessary for future services to the rail highway (AF) between Algeciras and Zaragozaspecifically those located between Córdoba and Santa Cruz de Mudela, as it crosses the provinces of Ciudad Real, Jaén and Córdoba.
In a press release, the Spanish government explained that the action includes thirteen tunnels (only one in Córdoba) of the Alcázar de San Juan-Cádiz line with a total length that exceeds 3.5 kilometers, the Andújar line being the longest, with 1,024 meters.
Regarding its location, one is located in the province of Ciudad Real (Venta de Cárdenas 1); eleven in the province of Jaén (Venta de Cárdenas 2, 3 and 4; Las Correderas 1, 2 and 3; in addition to those located in Santa Elena, Calancha, Vilches, Espeluy and Andújar); and one in Montoro (Cordoba).
More specifically, infrastructure actions will be addressed, such as expanding the tunnel section and lowering the platform; and the superstructure, with the renewal of sleepers, rails and ballastas well as drainage and electrification works. With this new investment, which is added to the recent award of work to adapt tunnels and viaducts between Madrid and Zaragoza for 78 million eurosthere are already more than 315 million euros mobilized in the project, or around 65% of the 468 million euros planned.
They will have an impact on passenger traffic, since the twelve month period they have will cause road closures and interference in communications with Jaén.
The ministry’s objective with these investments is to promote an increase in the share of rail transport, both in the central branch of the Mediterranean Corridor and in the Atlantic Corridor. Furthermore, “this will strengthen intermodality in the Iberian Peninsula with traffic between Europe and Morocco“.
To achieve this, the launch of the AF Algeciras-Zaragoza service will be decisive. Along the route of this AF, which extends between the port of Algeciras Bay and the Zaragoza Plaza terminal, interventions will be carried out on 174 structures: 43 tunnels and 131 viaducts.
Pending Actions
The presence of Córdoba in this axis is essential because the flows of ports like Huelva, Seville, Málaga and Cádiz, as well as Algeciras. However, and despite this work authorization for the southern part of the highway, interventions in the province of Córdoba are not taking place at the desired pace – the year 2024 had been given as the date to activate the entire construction plan. investment of 468 million planned. in this route.
A few days ago, the drafting of the project to modernize the conventional network from Villa del Río to Palma del Río was awarded for 7.3 million euros, another key action to adapt the lines to the transit of trains with trucks of all of Andlaucia.
During this second semester, according to the government, a call for tenders is planned for work to adapt the gauge on the entire route between Madrid and Algeciras. Likewise, the award of contracts for the expansion works will be discussed. routes up to 750 meters in eleven stations, which will strengthen the efficiency and competitiveness of the route, as well as the consolidation work on the slope of the Almargen (Málaga)where the platform and track will be renewed over 7 kilometers.
This is an action that will improve the operation of infrastructure for all traffic on the Bobadilla-Algeciras section. The investments include the implementation of the Banalized Automatic Blocking (BAB) between Guadalajara and Calatayud – already under contract -, a system that guarantees the distance between trains using signals.
