Page 27 - Vía Libre Special - 25 Years of Spanish High Speed Rail

Madrid–Galicia Key features of the
infrastructure
line - Total length: 434.8 km.

- Length of sections in service: 186 km.
- Gauge: Standard.
The Madrid–Galicia high speed line is a
newly built infrastructure, approximately - Maximum speed: 350 km/h.
430 kilometres in length, in which there are - Electrification: 2 x 25kV 50Hz AC.
sections already in service and others still - Signalling: ASFA 200 and ERTMS.
under construction.
The line starts at the branch junction on the - Telecommunications: Digital train-ground based
Madrid–Valladolid line where it passes Olmedo, and on GSM–R.
ends at Santiago de Compostela, where it links up - Sections in service: Orense–Santiago (87.1 km)
with Galician Atlantic Axis. and Olmedo–Zamora (99 km).
Its construction has been split into four sections: - Infrastructures section Orense–Santiago: 38
Olmedo–Zamora (100.2 km), in service since viaducts (19.6 km) and 30 tunnels (28.9 km).
December 17, 2015; Zamora–Lubián (139.1 km) and
Lubián–Orense (101.7 km), both under construction; - Refurbished stations: 2. Orense and Santiago.
and Orense–Santiago (84 km), in service since - Infrastructure on Olmedo–Zamora section: 15
December 2011. viaducts (4.5 km) and no tunnels.
Orense–Santiago de Compostela - Stations: 2. Medina del Campo (new build) and
section Zamora (refurbishment).
- Gauge changers Olmedo–Zamora section: Two,
It was the first section of the Madrid–Galicia at Medina del Campo and Zamora.
high speed line to enter into service, on December
10, 2011. Unlike the rest of the Atlantic Axis, where the
existing line was adapted by duplicating the track, The Madrid–Galicia line starts at the branch junction
altering the layout, and electrifying the line, the 84 on the Madrid–Valladolid line where it passes Olmedo,
kilometre long Orense–Santiago section is a totally and ends at Santiago de Compostela, where it links
new construction. up with Galician Atlantic Axis. The photo shows an
S-730 on the Olmedo-Medina trial section.

years of Spanish high speed rail

GONZALO RUBIO

Vía Libre • Special 25th Anniversary of the AVE Edition 27