Adif has announced today, at the follow-up committee for the integration of the railway in Santander held at the headquarters of the Government Delegation, the tender of the first works this year: the reorganization of the tracks of the station (detour and provisional station of the conventional network) and the new building of offices for railway use. These works, which have a global tender budget of about 70 million euros, would begin in 2026, in accordance with the commitments established.
The works, which will be financed entirely by Adif by means of functional and operational improvements for the railway infrastructure, will make it possible to free up the necessary spaces to carry out the rest of the works contemplated in the agreement signed by Adif, Renfe, the Government of Cantabria and the City of Santander.
In this regard, Adif is currently working on the project to modernize and expand the station’s passenger building, which will be financed entirely by Adif, as well as the project to reorganize spaces within the railway complex, co-financed by Adif, the City Council and the Regional Executive. With these two actions, which it is planned to tender in 2026, the final image of the entire action would be achieved, which occupies a prominent place in the Plan of Neighbourhoods of Cantabria.
In addition, Adif has presented an update of the cost of the works with which the desired actions will be developed, distinguishing between those of a railway nature and those of an urban nature. The first ones must be financed by Adif and the non-railway ones, cofinanced between Adif (50%), the Government of Cantabria (30%) and the City of Santander (20%).
Different alternatives will be analyzed to renew the commitments of the agreement, being in any case necessary to increase the deadline and the budget initially planned in 2018. Thus, the global investment would be around 400 million euros (including both the works and their corresponding technical assistance), which represents about 25% of the investments foreseen in the Proximity Plan; of which some 255 million euros would correspond to the railway and urban works, which will be co-financed.
Finally, the commission has agreed on the new location of the Railway Museum next to the future beach of metric gauge tracks, as an additional track.
Benefits and objectives of railway integration in Santander
The integration of the railway in the city of Santander will allow to materialize three objectives, with notable benefits both for users and for railway operations and the urban environment:
- Modernize and expand the station: rehabilitate the station of the conventional network (north pavilion) to unify in a single passenger building the provision of all railway services (LD, MD, Neighbourhoods and network of metric width); and build a new volume, attached to the north pavilion, that will expand the surface of the passenger building and create a new connection of the square of the Stations with the Paseo del Agua.
- Reorder spaces to rationalize the surface occupied by the beach of roads and railway facilities. Thus, the railway service will be made more efficient and spaces will be freed up to improve the integration of the railway in the city.
- Cover the tracks and platforms from the head to the pedestrian walkway that connect the streets Alta and Castilla and take advantage of the liberated land in an urban setting.