Spanish infrastructure manager Adif has put out a tender for almost 2,8 million euros for a study on the reopening of the Somport rail tunnel, which connects Spain and France through the Pau-Canfranc line. The company will also deploy 3,5 million euros for drafting the project to connect this line (in standard gauge) to the Zaragoza Logistics Platform (Plaza), one of the largest rail freight hubs in the country.
The project for the Somport tunnel is divided into two phases. During the first one, which will last 24 months, “the necessary civil works and track work for the conditioning of the international railway tunnel will be defined”, Adif said. The second phase, for which 18 months are planned, will see any necessary additional reports and actions carried out.
The reopening of the Somport tunnel is a key step for the reopening of the Pau-Canfranc railway, closed since 1970 due to an accident on the French side of the line. Last September, Spain selected an alternative to reopen the tunnel which entails the removal of the existing cladding, which would be replaced by a 20 cm lining. The Somport rail tunnel is currently being used as an emergency evacuation gallery for the Somport road tunnel.
Connecting the Zaragoza hub to the Pau-Canfranc
Another recent development concerning this axis is that Adif has invested 3,5 million euros to draft the project to connect the Plaza with the Pau-Canfranc line. Estimations claim it will take 160 million euros for this project, which includes a 21-kilometre standard gauge track. This initiative will technically define the deployment of a third rail on the connecting tracks to Plaza, while doubling the sections that have a single track.