The Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility has awarded 28.7 million euros (VAT included), through Adif, the installation of acoustic screens in sections of conventional railway lines, high speed and metric width as they pass through towns in the provinces of Gipuzkoa, Bizkaia, Palencia, Zaragoza and Santander.
This action will strengthen the integration of the railway through these cities through the deployment of 50 screens with works ranging from the previous preparation of the land to environmental measures, through the adaptation of drains and replacement of affected services, in addition to the installation itself.
The screens will be placed at the following points:
- In Gipuzkoa there will be 34, in points of the conventional line between Zumárraga and Irun (of 50.7 km), which hosts movements of Neighbourhoods, Medium and Long Distance.
- In Bizkaia, a screen will be mounted on the Ordugne-Santurzi line as it passes through the town of Sestao.- In Palencia capital, twelve screens will be installed: nine on the left bank of a stretch of about 3 km from the High-Speed Line (LAV) Palencia-León; and three others on a route of about 1 km from the conventional line Bifurcación Venta de Bathrooms-Gijón Sanz-Crespo.
- In Zaragoza there will be two screens that will be displayed in the surroundings of the Utebo station, along 1 km of the conventional line Madrid-Malaga-Barcelona France as it passes through the town.
- In Santander, another will be mounted on the left bank of the metric width line that links the Cantabrian capital with Bilbao La Concordia.
Commitment to railway integration and sustainability
The deployment of acoustic screens contributes to the integration of the railway into the urban and rural tracing, and derives from the Strategic Noise Maps of the main railway axes, in which the acoustic situation of a certain area is evaluated and action plans are established, in the event that the acoustic quality is compromised, to improve them.
This action contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) number 9 (promotion of reliable, sustainable and quality infrastructures), 7 (sustainability) and 11 (inclusive cities with access to sustainable transport), to which this Ministry is committed.