Storm Dana and beyond

Key Madrid station opens new HS hall, tracks amid DANA works

Published on 07-11-2024 at 12:54

Plan and execution of the new concourse at the key Madrid station. Adif

Amid Spain’s infrastructure breakdown following the DANA storm, there is some good news coming out of the Iberian Peninsula. A new high-speed concourse has opened at one of Spain’s most important rail hubs, Madrid Chamartín Clara Campoamor station, alongside four new tracks. The extremely busy Transport Minister Óscar Puente said the renovations would mean significantly improved connections and greater passenger comfort. And there’s also been major progress on the restoration works in Valencia.

The new high-speed concourse opened in Madrid on Wednesday, with passengers getting their first taste of the 4,600 square metre hall, some 2,000 m2 larger than the previous one. Puente said the upgraded concourse would absorb the growing number of passengers, which has been breaking records.

The hall has been built over the new high-speed tracks, two platforms and four new tracks, which were also put into service on Wednesday, after receiving the authorisation of the State Railway Safety Agency (AESF).

1.- Abro 🧶. Más allá de la respuesta a la Dana, la actividad sigue. Hemos pasado un tiempo complicado, pero se van viendo los resultados.
Mañana, miércoles 6/11/24, ponemos en servicio el nuevo vestíbulo de alta velocidad de la estación de Chamartín. pic.twitter.com/Z1UCvi4l9S

— Oscar Puente (@oscar_puente_) November 5, 2024

“The commissioning of this bright and spacious concourse, together with the tracks, is a milestone in the remodelling and transformation of this station, in which Adif is investing more than 540 million euros,” said Puente while visiting the site on Tuesday. “We are working to adapt this important infrastructure to the growing demand for the railway and to the mobility of the future, a mobility that will necessarily be sustainable and low in emissions.”

From Wednesday, a new metro service will also be in operation at the vital Madrid station, offering easy links for high-speed passengers. Meanwhile, the four new tracks mean the station will now have eight operative high-speed train lines, with the concourse set for further growth to make it easier to maintain the current volume of trains.

From Madrid to Valencia

Meanwhile, Spain’s Transport Ministry announced yesterday an update to its efforts to get the region of Valencia moving again after the deadly storms last week. Teams from Adif were “working day and night”, it said, to clear the railway lines of vehicles, debris , and mud in order to begin the extensive repair works following the flooding’s disastrous effect on the region’s rail infrastructure.

It said some 74 km of track on Valencia’s commuter C-6 and C-5 lines had been restored and were now in service. Meanwhile**,** more than 40 km of track on the C-1, C-2 and C-3 lines had also been completely cleared, which the ministry said would allow progress to be made in analysing the damage and starting work. Approximately 400 vehicles had to be removed from the commuter rail lines.

C2 Alzira-Algemesí. Perfilando y repartiendo Balastro. Parece increíble en tan poco tiempo. pic.twitter.com/60P2abZMLg

— Oscar Puente (@oscar_puente_) November 6, 2024

As for high-speed rail, the ministry said “progress is being made” in repairing the area around the Chiva tunnel and the Torrent tunnel, the latter of which was completely flooded. Having completed the work of forming the platform at both entrances and inside the Chiva tunnel, work has been carried out to raise the entire track, removing all the ballast and preparing the esplanade on both tracks. That means the new track can soon be laid. As for the Torrent tunnel, the Transport Ministry said the structure was “in better condition than expected.”

Still, the high-speed rail line between Valencia and Madrid remains will remained closed for the near future, with Puente indicating that repairs were expected to take at least two to three weeks, suggesting a potential reopening around mid to late November. However, no specific date has been confirmed.

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