The Ministry of Public Works has, through Adif Alta Velocidad, put out a bid for projects totaling 56.8 million euros aimed at connecting all high-speed rail lines in the northern and southern parts of the Iberian Peninsula within the Community of Madrid. This connection consists of the 7.3-kilometer Atocha-Chamartín tunnel, built to international standard gauge, and the expansion of rail infrastructure capacity between the Puerta de Atocha station and the municipality of Torrejón de Velasco, a 27.2-kilometer stretch.
The largest contract, worth 37.8 million euros, covers the design of construction projects and the installation of signaling systems, train protection systems, centralized traffic control, auxiliary detection systems, fixed telecommunications, and safety and security systems for the Madrid Chamartín–Torrejón de Velasco section of the international standard-gauge railway.
The new section will be equipped with ERTMS train protection systems as the primary system and Asfa as a backup.
The project includes the installation of signaling systems for the expansion of the southern end of Chamartín Station and for the new international-gauge tunnel that will connect to Atocha, as well as the installation of signaling systems for the new tracks between Puerta de Atocha and Torrejón de Velasco.
Meanwhile, the contract for the installation of electrification systems on the same section has been put out to bid for a total of nineteen million euros, of which 17.3 million are for construction work, and the remainder is for equipment maintenance for twenty-four months following commissioning.
The catenary power supply system will operate at 25 kV AC. The electrification contract includes, among other installations, the overhead contact line, the switch heating system, lighting for tunnels and electrical substations, and the remote power control system.
It also calls for the construction of an intermediate autotransformer station at Chamartín Station, as well as the retrofitting of the Villaverde and El Hornillo traction substations to accommodate the new track layout.
These investments represent a decisive boost to the development of infrastructure of great importance to the Spanish high-speed rail network. In this regard, the tunnel—built to international standard gauge—between the Atocha and Chamartín stations will enable the high-performance rail corridors of the north and northwest of the peninsula, on the one hand, and the southern half, on the other, to be connected without the need for transfers within the city of Madrid.
Likewise, the increase in infrastructure capacity on the southern access route to Madrid on the international-gauge line—shared by the Levante and Andalusia corridors— through the installation of new tracks in addition to the existing ones between Torrejón de Velasco and Puerta de Atocha, will improve traffic flow and accommodate a higher density of rail traffic.
In addition to these projects, the only remaining task is to lay the track on the Puerta de Atocha–Torrejón de Velasco section to complete the infrastructure, along with other minor projects.
