The Spanish Ministry of Transport allocated 15 million euros for the development of the track and its electrification along the Eastern Freight Variant in Valladolid. The actions will be carried out by a consortium made up of Contratas y Ventas and FCC Industrial e Infraestructuras Energéticas. This project is part of a plan to make Valladolid a new rail freight hub in Spain.

The initiative, which is expected to be completed in 18 months, entails the installation of flexible catenary and the assembly of a variant track near Pinar de Antequera, south of Valladolid. This new track will connect the Iberian gauge Madrid-Hendaya line with the Valladolid Campo Grande station, which will be solely dedicated to freight traffic. In addition, the plan includes the electrification of the seven tracks suitable to handle 750-metre trains and two tracks with access to a container slab at the Valladolid Railway Complex.

Eastern Variant of Valladolid and the Valladolid Railway Complex

The whole Eastern Variant of Valladolid will be connected to the main standard gauge line, as the Valladolid-Madrid railway is part of the TEN-T Atlantic Corridor. The new line will stretch for 17,5 kilometres, including a viaduct of 1,1 kilometres and a tunnel of 2,1 kilometres. The variant will grant access to the Valladolid Railway Complex, a new rail freight terminal that will cover an area of 230,000 square metres. The new variant and the terminal will allow freight trains to have one big hub rather than the current ones spread throughout the city.

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