SPANISH high-speed line authority GIF awarded contracts on May 22 for the construction of a further 124 km of the Madrid - Barcelona high-speed line at a cost of Pts83·5bn. The package covers eight sections between Chiloeches and Calatayud near Zaragoza (RG 4.98 p253). Work is expected to start in September and take around two years. Completion of the high-speed line will cut the Madrid - Zaragoza journey time from 3 h to 1 h 20 min and Madrid - Lleida from 4 h 30 min to 2 h 50 min.
The Madrid - Gajanejos section is now being prepared for bidding, but GIF has yet to reach this stage for the Lleida - Martorell portion. Public consultation is still under way for the section from Martorell into Barcelona, and from Barcelona to the French border. o
