The stations of Plasencia, Cáceres, Mérida and Badajoz, built at the end of the 19th century, are being renovated for the arrival of the high-speed train, following the remodelling that Ineco designed for Adif Alta Velocidad.
The construction works on the AVE high-speed line between Madrid and Galicia represent one of the greatest technical challenges ever faced by Adif Alta Velocidad: the rugged terrain of the Galician region poses an engineering challenge that requires remarkable precision. In this article, different experts from Ineco and Adif Alta Velocidad describe some of the main works on one of the most complex sections of the line.
With the opening of the high-speed line, the trip between Madrid and Granada will take 2 hours and 45 minutes. The discovery of archaeological remains near Antequera and complex hydrogeology around the town of Loja were the main challenges to overcome in the final section, where Ineco carried out different works for Adif Alta Velocidad.
121 tonnes of rail, 550 tonnes of sleepers and 145 lorries loaded with ballast are just one example of what goes into building just one kilometre of single track on a high-speed line. Technicians from Ineco have been working with Adif and Adif Alta Velocidad for more than 15 years to guarantee the quality and supply of all railway materials used for track assembly. A job that requires maximum rigour and, over time, has resulted in the creation of a proven methodology.
A network of three tunnels consisting of a total of 5 tubes and 22 evacuation galleries excavated in a karst massif, a tunnel mouth over 40 metres high shared by three tunnels in a slope traversed by a geological fault and the presence of a protected species under a viaduct are just a few of the technical, geological and environmental challenges faced by the construction teams of the Bergara railway junction. It is a crucial project that will make it possible to split the high-speed line to connect the centre of the Iberian Peninsula to the three provincial capitals of the Basque Country and to France.
