MEETING ON MARCH 30, the board of Spanish infrastructure authority ADIF gave its approval for contracts worth a total of k1?03bn to be awarded or put out to tender. According to the Ministry of Development, this is one of the largest investment packages approved at a single board meeting since ADIF came into being on January 1 2005.High speed lines account for k892?2m. They include the first section of a route between Madrid and Badajoz close to the Portuguese border, where tenders are being called for civil works on the 20?2?km Montijo - Badajoz section within a budget of k64?3m. The double-track route is being designed to accommodate freight as well as high speed passenger trains.Between Barcelona and the French border, Ferrovial Agrom?n and Compa??a de Obras Castillejos have been awarded a k105?46m contract for civil works on the 3?3?km Mollet del Vall?s - Montorn?s del Vall?s section, including a tunnel box through Montmel? that will also accommodate the adjacent 1 668?mm gauge route. Aldesa Construcciones and Construcciones Pai are to build the 14?4?km Montorn?s del Vall?s - La Roca del Vall?s section, while Copisa has been awarded a k15?8m contract to cover over the high speed and adjacent conventional lines through Vilafranca del Pened?s. Within a budget of k40?9m, bids have been invited for the 7?2?km Pont?s - Borrass? section.Acciona Infraestructuras and Excavaciones Viuda de Sainz have been awarded an k80?9m contract to undertake civil works on the 5?6?km between Escoriatza and Aramaio, located on the Vitoria branch of the Y-shaped network that will connect it with Bilbao and San Sebasti?n. The 3?4?km Aramaio - Mondrag?n section has been awarded to Sacyr, Construcciones Amen?bar and Proyectos SA for k57?8m.On the Alacant branch of the Madrid - Valencia route, Constructora Hisp?nica and Azarbe have been awarded a k30?4m contract for civil works on the 11?2?km Caudete - Villena section, while FCC Construcci?n and Convensa have been awarded the 11?4?km Villena - Sax section for k69?4m. The 7?4?km Ont?gola - Oca?a section is out to tender for up to k32?2m, as well as a 1?7?km section taking the route into the centre of Valencia where a budget of k123?8m has been set.ADIF says 95% of the 370?km Madrid - Valencia route is now under construction or out to tender, with only two sections still at the project stage. Tenders are to be called for supply of turnouts and long welded rail under two contracts worth up to k60m.Projects on the conventional network now out to tender include track renewals on the 47?km Zafra - Fregenal de la Sierra section of the Zafra - Huelva route where a budget of k36m has been set, and resignalling the 32?km between Terrassa and Manresa with automatic block for reversible working within a budget of k11?7m. A contract worth up to k13?7m covers the first phase of a programme to place 1?8?km of railway underground in Logro?o, including construction of a temporary station.

Topics