ON APRIL 6 the Madrid regional government awarded contracts totalling Pts155·5bn for construction work on the MetroSur ring line in the city’s southern suburbs (RG 2.00 p70). The work has been split between seven construction groups, and tunnelling is expected to get under way this summer.
A consortium of ACS and VIAS will build 9·5 km of tunnel and five stations between Leganés and Móstoles for Pts37·6bn. FCC will bore the 7·3 km from Móstoles to Lorenca and build five stations for Pts26·6bn. The next 3 km will be dug by SACYR and OHL for Pts10·1bn; each firm will provide one station. NECSO will build 6·5 km from Fuenlabrada to Pablo Iglesias with four stations for Pts25·1bn, Ferrovial will undertake the next 7·3 km to Los Espartales with six stations for Pts26·6bn and Dragados will do the final 7 km through Leganés with five stations for Pts29·4bn.
Construction is expected to take around 30 months. Five large-diameter tunnel boring machines will be used, together with two smaller ones. Each of the 27 stations will be 115m long, and an average of 14·5m below ground, requiring banks of escalators to and from the platforms. Provision is being left for four more stations to be added as suburban development extends.
Target journey time for a circuit of the 40·9 km ring will be 58min. A fleet of 24 three-car trains is being supplied by AnsaldoBreda; each will be formed as motor-trailer-motor. The line is to be electrified at 1·5 kV DC, compared to the 600V DCused on the existing metro network.
