Page 33 - Vía Libre Special - 25 Years of Spanish High Speed Rail

Current network and future projects
tions of Callosa-Cox and Elche High speed are cu-
rrently under construction.
The work currently being carried out prior to
the line’s entry into service is centred on the com-
pletion of the track laying and work on electrifica-
tion, noise protection, and safety and communica-
tions installations.
• Murcia-Almería: This line, part of the Mediterra-
nean high speed corridor, has an approximate len-
gth of 185 km, and runs through the provinces of
Murcia and Almería. The line, designed for mixed
traffic, will connect the city of Almería to the Me-
diterranean corridor and the Madrid-Castile La
Mancha-Valencian Community-Murcia Region
GONZALO RUBIO
high speed line.

The terrain which the Madrid-Galicia high speed
line passes through called for the construction of
numerous tunnels and viaducts.
currently in service between Albacete and Alicante
at Monforte del Cid (Alicante), where the line divi-
des, with one line going to Alicante and the other
to Murcia. Its entry into service will connect Elche,
Orihuela, Murcia and, in the future, Cartagena and
Almería, to the high speed network.

ADIF
Station of La Hoya on the Murcia-Almería line, part of
the Mediterranean high speed corridor.

The route features eleven tunnels (some cut
and cover) and sixty viaducts. Among the latter we
ADIF would highlight the 943.7 metre long Cadimar via-
Future station of Callosa-Cox on duct on the Vera-Los Gallardos subsection, and of
the Monforte-Murcia line. the former, the Sorbas twin-bore tunnel, which is
already completed and at 7,538 metres long is the
Five tunnels have been bored on the route, longest tunnel in Andalusia.
all in the province of Alicante, with a combined len- On the Murcia-Pulpí route, where the corridor
gth of 5,924 metres, accounting for 9.6% of the to- coincides with the present conventional line, the-
tal length of the section: Callosa de Segura, 2,050 re are several sections on which the infrastructure
metres; El Murón, 1,730 metres; Elche, 1,288 metres; work has been completed and is already provisionally
La Temorosa, 485 metres, and El Carrús, 371 metres. carrying suburban, medium and long distance servi-
The route has required the upgrade of the stations ces on Iberian gauge. On the Pulpí-Almería section
of San Isidro-Albatera-Catral, Orihuela, and Beniel, there are also some sections on which the track bed years of Spanish high speed rail
as well as the adaptation to future high speed ser- work has been completed, specifically on the section
vices of Murcia del Carmen station. The new sta- between Los Arejos (Murcia) and Vera (Almería).

Vía Libre • Special 25th Anniversary of the AVE Edition 33