The Council of Ministers has today authorized, on the proposal of the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, the signing of an agreement with the Government of Cantabria to eliminate a step at the level in Cabezón de la Sal.
The agreement includes an investment of 3.38 million euros to carry out the actions, which will be financed 50% between the Government of Cantabria and the Ministry through the Administrator of Railway Infrastructures (Adif).
Specifically, the level crossing located at kilometer point 486/653 of the metric width line Oviedo-Santander will be eliminated, through the following works:
o Reordering of the autonomous road CA-813, by executing a road variant that connects with the N-634.
o Construction of a pedestrian walkway at the level crossing point.
Under the agreement, Adif will assume the functions of contracting authority and will exercise the optional direction of the works included in the construction project. In addition, it will make available the lands of its property affected by the works, it will process the definitive closure of the crossing at level, it will be responsible for the dismantling of the facilities and the execution of the fence of the track, to prevent access to the railway platform and induce the use of the new infrastructures.
At the end of the proceedings, Adif will transmit to the Government of Cantabria the variant and the pedestrian walkway.
For its part, the Government of Cantabria will make available to Adif the affected lands of its property, free of charge, and will process technically and administratively the expropriations of the lands required for the works. Likewise, it will assume the ownership of the variant and the pedestrian walkway, as well as its subsequent maintenance, conservation, repair, replacement, cleaning and custody of the vials, the enclosures and the passages at different levels and their accesses.
Dialogue between institutions
These actions are part of the protocol between the Autonomous Community of Cantabria and the Railway Infrastructure Administrator (Adif) for the suppression of crossings at the level and improvement of permeability within the Autonomous Community.
In addition, the Proximity Plan of Cantabria contemplates an investment of about 55 million euros in actions both of suppression and of improvement of the protection and functionality of various steps at the level of the metric width network and in the conventional network. For example, they are already in march the works of suppression of two steps at level in Santa Cruz de Bezana With an investment of 2.3 million euros.
This project contributes to the fulfilment of several of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): 9 (promoting reliable, sustainable and quality infrastructure); 11 (access to safe, accessible and sustainable transport systems).