Madrid–Galicia high-speed rail line

The Madrid–Galicia high-speed rail line is a high-speed railway line in Spain that links the city of Madrid with the region of Galicia via the cities of Olmedo, Zamora, Ourense and Santiago de Compostela. The line also connects the Atlantic Axis high-speed rail line to the rest of the Spanish AVE high-speed network. The Madrid–Galicia high-speed rail line is constructed as double electrified line and is designed for trains running at speeds up to 350 kilometres per hour (220 mph).[1]

Madrid–Galicia high-speed rail line
Overview
Statusin operation
OwnerAdif
LocaleSpain
Termini
Service
TypeHigh-speed rail
Operator(s)Renfe Operadora
Technical
Line length415.7 km (258.3 mi)
Number of tracksDouble track
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Electrification25 kV 50 Hz
Operating speed300 km/h (190 mph)
Route map

km
length
in m
462,533
Orense-Empalme
to conventional line to/from Monforte
Miño river
400m
N-120
Bouzachas Tunnel
1015m
Canivelos road bridge
95m
Road bridge over Lonia river
120m
Montealegre Tunnel
3450m
Road bridge over Regueiro Zain
525m
conventional line Zamora-Orense
Baraña river
276m
N-525
N-525
Rande Tunnel
5106m
448,539
Road bridge over Taboadela river
20m
Road bridge Arroyo Pazos
64m
Os Casares Tunnel
3490m
conventional line Zamora-Orense
57m
conventional line Zamora-Orense
176,99m
Road bridge over Arnoia river
799m
Bouzas Tunnel
852,6m
Bouzas road bridge
216m
conventional line Zamora-Orense
57,19m
Miamán road bridge
177m
conventional line Zamora-Orense
Miamán
conventional line Zamora-Orense
Seiró Tunnel
1798m
Valdemouro road bridge
411m
conventional line Zamora-Orense
conventional line Zamora-Orense
Prado Tunnel
7606m
Portela road bridge
246m
conventional line Zamora-Orense
Corga de Vela Tunnel
1170m
Os Portos road bridge
246m
conventional line Zamora-Orense
conventional line Zamora-Orense
El Corno Tunnel
8569,60m
Felgueira II bridge
80m
Felgueira I bridge
22m
Cerdedelo Tunnel
Támega road bridge
conventional line Zamora-Orense
Portocamba Tunnel
conventional line Zamora-Orense
conventional line Zamora-Orense
conventional line Zamora-Orense
conventional line Zamora-Orense
conventional line Zamora-Orense
Bolaños Tunnel
conventional line Zamora-Orense
conventional line Zamora-Orense
Medina del Campo-Orense
Espiño Tunnel
7895m
conventional line Zamora-Orense
382,613
A Gudiña-Porta de Galicia
O Cañizo Tunnel
5360m
O Pereiro
conventional line Zamora-Orense
Vilavella Tunnel
735m
Vilavella road bridge
105m
conventional line Zamora-Orense
A-52
La Canda Tunnel
7224m
La Canda Tunnel
Tuela road bridge
Lubián Tunnel
Pedro road bridge
Hedroso Tunnel
Leira river
Padornelo Tunnel
Los Perdegales road bridge
Requejo Tunnel
Pedralba Tunnel
convencional line Zamora-Orense
343,784
convencional line from/to Ourense
Puebla Oeste bridge
Puebla Tunnel
Viaducto de Puebla Este
Otero Tunnel
Otero road bridge
170m
333,588
Sanabria AV
Palacios road bridge
419m
Asturianos road bridge
158m
Arroyo de Valchanos
Mombuey
N-631
Embalse de Nuestra Señora de Agavanzal
299,446
Otero de Bodas
274,993
Tábara
N-631
Arroyo de Valdurcos
Esla river
N-630
Arroyo de Las Callejinas
N-630
249,434
Montamarta
Arroyo de Valdurcos
Autovía del Duero (A-11)
La Campiña Tunnel
Arroyo de Valderrey
80m
Valorio Tunnel
193m
Bolón Tunnel
431m
233,0
conventional line from/to Ourense
232.4
Zamora
conventional line from/to Medina del Campo
Autovía del Duero (A-11)
Viaducto del Río Valderaduey
Autovía Ruta de la Plata (A-66)
223.2
Crossover Coreses
Intersection with conventional line Medina-Zamora
N-122
Duero river
Duero river bridge
203.4
Semi-PAET Toro
Guareña river
Arroyo del Puente
Arroyo del Caño
Arroyo de la Pitanza
A-62
Intersection with conventional line Medina-Salamanca
156.5
Gauge changer in Medina towards Salamanca
155.4
Medina del Campo AV
Autovía del Noroeste (A-6)
conventional line Madrid-Hendaya
Zapardiel river
bridge over A-6
conventional line Olmedo-Medina
Adaja river road bridge
144.4
PCA Pozal de Gallinas and future link to Valladolid
Intersection with conventional line Olmedo-Medina
137.1
Junction to eliminate gauge changer of Medina del Campo
Start of the Olmedo–Galicia section
133,8
Junction Medina
N-601
133.0
Olmedo
106.6
97.1
94.4
Tabladillo Tunnel
86.0
Garcillán
72.5
70.7
Puentecilla Tunnel
Intersection with conventional line Villa
AP-61
68.3
Segovia-Guiomar railway station
66.2
37.5
Guadarrama Tunnels
35.5
Miraflores de la Sierra
Intersection with conventional line Madrid-Burgos
32.9
Arroyo Valley bridge
32.1
23.2
Tunnels of Cerro de San Pedro
Intersection with conventional line Madrid-Burgos
18.9
Crossover Tres Cantos
Intersection with conventional line Madrid-Burgos
Intersection with conv. line Madrid-Alcobendas/S.S. de los Reyes
Fuencarral maintenance center
Intersection with link Hortaleza-Pitis
Intersection with link Hortaleza-Chamartin
Link to Chamartin Iberian gauge (width changer)
0.50
Madrid Chamartín railway station
End of the line

History

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The line shares the same railway for the section between Madrid and Olmedo with the Madrid–Asturias high-speed rail line. This part was inaugurated on 23 December 2007 along with the entire section Madrid–SegoviaValladolid. Construction on the section between Ourense and Santiago de Compostela started in 2004 and the 87.1 km (54.1 mi) part was completed and connected with the Atlantic Axis high-speed rail line in Santiago de Compostela on 10 December 2011. This part of the line has a track gauge of 1,668 mm (5 ft 5+2132 in) Iberian gauge, which is due to be converted to 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge later.[1] Since November 2015, trains in Alvia commercial service used this part on routes between Galicia and other Spanish regions.

In July 2015 it was announced that the traction power supply for the Olmedo-Pedralba de la Pradería (near Puebla de Sanabria) section would be switched-on on 7 August 2015.[2] The 99 km (62 mi) southern section, between Olmedo (130 km (81 mi) north of Madrid on the Madrid–Leon line) and Zamora entered revenue service on 17 December 2015 and initially served by Alvia trains.[3][4] In January 2017 it was announced that the boring of the Bolaños tunnels along the Verín - Ourense section of the line was completed.[5] The central part, which crosses some of Spain's most remote and fragile natural areas, was initially expected to open in 2018,[6][7] but has again been delayed to end 2021.[8] The 110 km (68 mi) new built section between Zamora and Otero de Sanabria (near Puebla de Sanabria) was completed at a cost of 898 million euros and put in service on 26 October 2020. It is capable for speeds up to 350 km/h (217 mph).[9] The Sanabria AV [es] high-speed rail station opened on 22 July 2021.[10] The 119.4 km (74.2 mi) last remaining part between Puebla de Sanabria and Ourense was completed on 21 December 2021 and the whole line was commercially inaugurated in AVE service on 21 December 2021, after 20 years of work.[11]

In May 2024, AVE capacity was increased with the introduction of Talgo AVRIL trains, which added about 20% more seat capacity and can run at higher speeds.[12] The new trains suffered from technical problems during the initial months of service, resulting in rolling stock substitutions and delays.[13][14]

Operations

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There are 10 services each day in both directions.[15] AVE trains initially ran between Madrid and Ourense with a maximum operating speed of 300 km/h (186 mph) to cover the distance in 2h 15min. In May 2024, the variable gauge Talgo AVRIL trains started running with 330 km/h (205 mph) in service on schedules between Madrid and A Coruña and between Madrid and Vigo via Santiago de Compostela. In addition Alvia services in the line on class 130 and 730 gauge-changing trains with a commercial speed of 250 km/h (155 mph), connect Madrid to Vigo, Pontevedra, Lugo and Ferrol.[16]

From 5 November 2024, two Alvia Madrid-Vigo services bypassing Santiago de Compostela will be replaced by AVE services on Talgo AVRIL trains, thus achieving for first time journey times between Madrid and Vigo below 4 hours at 3h 57min.[17]

Incidents

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In July 2013, an S730 train derailed in a non-LAV (conventional line) stretch near the Santiago de Compostela station.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Infraestructuras y Estaciones". Adif. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  2. ^ "Adif pone en tensión tramo de alta velocidad Olmedo-Pedralba de la Pradería". ABC.es. 22 July 2015. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  3. ^ Fran Hurtado (15 December 2015). "El AVE Madrid-Zamora se estrena este jueves sin actos inaugurales". noticias.lainformacion.com. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
  4. ^ "La llegada del AVE a Zamora se retrasa a finales de año, según la ministra, Ana Pastor". La Opinion de Zamora. 19 June 2015. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  5. ^ "FCC completes boring of Bolaños tunnels". railjournal.com. 9 January 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  6. ^ "Los AVE de pruebas entre Olmedo y Zamora comenzarán a circular a finales de septiembre". La Opinión de Zamora. 23 August 2015. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  7. ^ "Economía/AVE- Adif ratifica la llegada del AVE a Galicia en 2019". europapress. 29 November 2018. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  8. ^ "EU co-financing for Galician high speed line". Railway Gazette International. 27 January 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  9. ^ "Ábalos destaca la inversión de 898 millones en el nuevo tramo del AVE a Galicia". www.elnortedecastilla.es. 26 October 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  10. ^ "La ministra inaugura la estación AVE "ejemplo del compromiso" con el corredor noroeste". Agencia EFE. 22 July 2021.
  11. ^ Chris King (20 December 2021). "AVE links Madrid with Galicia after 20 years". euroweeklynews.com. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  12. ^ "Más de 100.000 viajeros utilizan los nuevos trenes Avril de Renfe en su primera semana". La Opinión A Coruña. 29 May 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  13. ^ "El nuevo AVE gallego se queda fuera de servicio". Huffington Post. 15 July 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  14. ^ "Renfe estrena los Avril de Talgo y arranca el AVE a las capitales gallegas y Asturias". EFE. 21 May 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  15. ^ "Spain to launch €15 high-speed train between Madrid and Galicia". The Local Spain. 2021-11-28. Retrieved 2021-12-22.
  16. ^ "Madrid - Galicia high-speed line to open on December 21". International Railway Journal. 2021-11-22. Retrieved 2021-12-22.
  17. ^ P. Currás, Víctor (17 October 2024). "Renfe suma dos AVE a Vigo y reduce el viaje con Madrid por debajo de las 4 horas por primera vez en la historia". www.farodevigo.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 October 2024.