{"id":46497,"date":"2024-05-17T19:16:12","date_gmt":"2024-05-17T09:16:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/?p=52625"},"modified":"2024-05-17T19:16:12","modified_gmt":"2024-05-17T09:16:12","slug":"closed-tunnel-on-spain-france-route-poses-problems-for-rail-freight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=46497","title":{"rendered":"Closed tunnel on Spain-France route poses problems for rail freight"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rail traffic along the Madrid-Ir\u00fan line, which connects the Spanish capital to France and is part of the TEN-T Atlantic Corridor, has been halted since 8 May due to a damaged tunnel. The line was supposed to reopen on Monday 20 May, but new information says this will not happen before Saturday 25 May.<\/strong>
\n<\/span>This closure is having a significant impact on rail freight. German operator Kombiverkehr, for example, said it moves 120 containers per direction every week and had to stop all services from Germany to Ir\u00fan and Madrid. The damaged infrastructure is the Gaintxurizketa tunnel, which runs for roughly 560 metres between Ir\u00fan and Astigarraga. During a routine inspection on 8 May, cracks were detected at the entrance of the tunnel on the Ir\u00fan side, which caused its closure and consequently halted traffic to Madrid.<\/p>\n

The Gaintxurizketa tunnel<\/h2>\n

The tunnel is currently undergoing an upgrade project to adapt its profile and accommodate bigger trains. The tunnel enlargement phase, a project led by Spanish engineering firm Esteyco, was concluded in March. Moreover, the whole Ir\u00fan-Astigarraga line is getting a third track which will be dedicated to the traffic of high-speed trains. This is not the first time that similar problems have occurred. Last year, enlargement operations had to be halted after 222 metres of the tunnel were adapted \u201cdue to reasons beyond Adif\u2019s control\u201d, Esteyco pointed out.<\/p>\n

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