Spanish infrastructure manager Adif will invest 118,5 million euros for the adaptation of 45 overpasses and 19 tunnels along the Zaragoza-Teruel-Sagunto railway. The upgrade of the line is quite relevant for rail freight as it connects the port of Sagunto and the Valencia area with Zaragoza and then Bilbao.

As Adif highlighted, “54,6 million euros will be allocated to adapting the dimensions of the overpasses”. This includes the complete renovation of 31 of them, the dismantling of seven, and structure modifications to the remaining seven. The other 63,8 million euros will be dedicated to the upgrade of the tunnels, which stretch along the line for 4,4 kilometres. False tunnels will be implemented on four of them, while the other 15 will be widened. False tunnels are access portals to the main tunnels which ensure more stability at the start of a tunnel drive. The Spanish IM added that tunnels exceeding 100 metres in length will also be equipped with a Rigid Catenary System.

The upgrade of the Zaragoza-Teruel-Sagunto line

Improving this railway section is part of Adif’s Master Plan and is proceeding at a quite fast pace. Last week, the IM commissioned seven 740-metre-long sidings along the line to allow more efficient freight train handling. The stations involved in this initiative are Cariñena, Ferreruela, Teruel, La Puebla de Valverde, Estivella, Navajas, and Barracas. Moreover, at the end of July, Adif launched a tender for the electrification of the Zaragoza-Teruel-Sagunto line for a total of 38,4 million euros. The whole project requires an investment of 455 million euros. As Adif underlined, 438 million euros, or 96 per cent of the funds, have already been mobilised.

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