Zaragoza.- The Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility has re-established on Monday, June 9, traffic on the entire Zaragoza - Huesca - Canfranc line after the completion of the works carried out by Adif for the integral renovation of this infrastructure, in which an investment of more than 180 million euros has been mobilized. The Secretary of State for Transport, José Antonio Santano, accompanied by the government delegate in Aragón, Fernando Beltrán, has come to the reopening of this line that, after its modernization. "Its implementation will allow the travel time between Zaragoza and Canfranc to be reduced by up to 30 minutes," said the Secretary of State.
Santano has been able to see, on board the first trip between Canfranc and Jaca, the saving of time that the new infrastructure represents, “a milestone that will improve people’s lives by becoming an axis of connection, development and opportunities for the residents of the Aragonese Pyrenees, for travelers looking for a sustainable transport alternative and for companies that need a modern and competitive logistics network”.
The performances have been concentrated in the Ayerbe-Caldearenas and Jaca-Canfranc sections, with a total length of 61 km, which add to the works completed in 2022 between Plasencia del Monte and Ayerbe (20.7 km). Work is also under way on new traffic management facilities: electronic interlocks, automatic release locks and telecommunications with GSM-R technology. All this results in an increase in the reliability, availability and functionality of this infrastructure, and allows the optimization of maintenance tasks.
Actions in the infrastructure
The works have made it possible to modernize both the track and the layout, improving the radius of the curve to achieve a sustained speed; also attending to the orography of the line, which runs through a mountainous area and with a large number of tunnels and metal bridges. For the renovation of the track armament, 130,000 m of rail, almost 133,000 multipurpose sleepers and more than 210,200 m3 of ballast have been used. In addition, 14 new detours have been installed.
Among the main actions carried out, the following stand out:
- the consolidation and protection of embankments and slopes, helping to prevent landslides and erosions;
- structural reinforcement and waterproofing of 29 tunnels (28 enlarging the gauge and track deck recess in one), as well as cleaning of its lining and drainage;
- axis modifications of the path in some curves;
- a new protective paint treatment on four metal bridges;
- the renewal of the board of two lower steps and the execution of a new upper step, as well as the installation of anti-vandal protections in 14 upper steps;
- The improvement and adaptation of transverse and longitudinal drainage, adding 35 new drainage works.
In addition, the platforms have been renovated to improve accessibility in the stations of Riglos-Concilio, Santa Maria-La Peña (where the section road has also been extended to 750 m), Castiello-Pueblo, Villanúa Letranz and Jaca.
New traffic management systems
In addition, Adif is modernizing the security and telecommunications facilities on the Ayerbe-Canfranc route, through new control, command and signalling systems.
In particular, it is acting on its different elements such as interlocks, blocks, track circuits and train protection systems, also installing new light signals of LED technology and motorized needle drives. All of this will be integrated into the Centralized Traffic Control system, which allows the movement to be regulated in an automated way from a command post.
New schedules
The new Pyrenean line reopens its railway traffic with shorter travel times than before the modernization of the track. In particular, from today, all the services provided by Renfe between Zaragoza and Canfranc will be shortened between 22 and 30 minutes on the route between Huesca and Canfranc. This fact has led to a reorganization of the schedules to optimize the service and adjust it to the new travel times.
In addition, to enable the availability of sufficient drivers for the new timetables and frequencies, Renfe has been training 71 drivers from Zaragoza and Teruel, both to renew the qualifications of the operator’s workers who had not been on the road for more than a year, and to hire new operators.
European funding
The infrastructure renovation actions between Huesca and Canfranc will have European funding through the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan. Funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.
They also contribute to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 9, which promotes reliable, sustainable and quality infrastructure; 8 (contribution to economic growth and job creation) and 17 (building partnerships to achieve goals).