SPANISH infrastructure manager Adif has begun tendering for a \u20ac468m programme of upgrades that will enable trains to carry road semitrailers between the Mediterranean port of Algeciras and Zaragoza.<\/p>\n
This will require work on a total of 43 tunnels and 131 overbridges.<\/p>\n
The first two contracts worth a total of \u20ac110m cover work to enlarge the loading gauge in 26 tunnels and beneath 40 overbridges between Madrid and Zaragoza.<\/p>\n
A budget of \u20ac52.4m had been set for the section from San Fernando de Henares to Santa Mar\u00eda de Huerta, plus a further \u20ac11.4m for materials. The Santa Mar\u00eda de Huerta – Zaragoza contract has a budget of \u20ac34.4m, plus \u20ac11.8m for materials.<\/p>\n
As well as widening tunnel clearances and lowering the trackbed, work will also include track renewals, drainage improvements and modifications to overhead electrification equipment.<\/p>\n
Adif has already awarded two contracts worth a total of \u20ac87.4m to install automatic block signalling for reversible working on the 190km Guadalajara – Calatayud section of the Madrid – Zaragoza line.<\/p>\n
Enyse has been awarded a \u20ac60m contract covering the 150km between Guadalajara and Ariza, while a joint venture of Alstom and Intel will resignal the 39.6km Ariza – Calatayud section for \u20ac27.4m.<\/p>\n
During the second half of this year, Adif will tender further work covering 174 structures between Madrid and Algeciras.<\/p>\n
Work on this line also includes extending freight loops to 750m at 13 stations, as well as strengthening the formation and undertaking track renewals on a 7km section at Almargen in M\u00e1laga province.<\/p>\n
Adif says that the Algeciras – Madrid – Zaragoza piggyback service will be crucial to increasing rail freight market share, with 600,000 lorries a year forecast to cross the Mediterranean between Algeciras and Tangier in Morocco in 2025.<\/p>\n
Three trains a day will operate in each direction between Algeciras and Zaragoza. One train a day will run in each direction between Huelva and Zaragoza, aiming to capture traffic moving to and from the Canary Islands, and two in each direction between Seville and Zaragoza.<\/p>\n
By operating 12,000 train-km of piggyback services a day, the upgraded line is expected to carry 360 semitrailers and remove 360,000km of lorry movements from the Spanish road network every day.<\/p>\n
Adif says that piggyback services will also run from Zaragoza to Tarragona via Lleida. Forming part of the conventional main line between Madrid and Barcelona, Lleida – Tarragona is currently the busiest line for freight traffic on the Spanish national network, used by over 100 trains in each direction every week.<\/p>\n
Tendering is due to start during the first half of this year for contracts to design gauge enhancement work for six tunnels and 16 overbridges as part of a \u20ac60m upgrade of the Lleida – Tarragona line.<\/p>\n
Adif now has active projects to introduce piggyback services on a further four routes, including Madrid – Valencia, Valencia – Badajoz – Lisbon, and Madrid – Badajoz – Porto – Lisbon.<\/p>\n
A service is also planned from the intermodal terminal at Azuqueca de Henares between Madrid and Guadalajara, running to Zaragoza and Tarragona.<\/p>\n
In addition, Adif is examining the viability of introducing a further six piggyback services on its conventional 1668mm gauge network:<\/p>\n
Tarragona – Barcelona<\/p>\n
Madrid – Valladolid – Burgos – Vitoria<\/p>\n
Murcia – Madrid<\/p>\n
C\u00e1diz – Madrid<\/p>\n
Tamarite de Litera – Ir\u00fan\/Portbou, and<\/p>\n
Zaragoza – Pamplona (Noain) -Vitoria (J\u00fandiz).<\/p>\n
The studies now underway will take into consideration likely demand, environmental benefits, rolling stock requirements and the necessary infrastructure enhancements required.<\/p>\n
For detailed data on Spanish rail infrastructure projects, subscribe to IRJ Pro<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n The post \u20ac468m Algeciras \u2013 Zaragoza piggyback project starts in Spain<\/a> appeared first on International Railway Journal<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" SPANISH infrastructure manager Adif has begun tendering for a \u20ac468m programme of upgrades that will enable trains to carry road semitrailers between the Mediterranean port […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[47,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-rail-news","category-transport"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t