· This is a key strategic project to advance the North-South rail link and enhance links with Europe in high speed
· On September 9, the single track section between Xàtiva and El Nudo de La Encina (phase I) will be put into service, while the adaptation reforms of the current double track (phase II) are carried out
· The execution of the works has involved a total investment of 750 M€
· Barnabas: “It is the solution to a historical and legitimate claim of the Alicante and Valencian civil society and to which the Government of Pedro Sánchez has given an unquestionable response”
The delegate of the Government in the Valencian Community, Pilar Bernabé, has today analyzed together with the Government Commissioner for the development of the Mediterranean Corridor, Josep Vicent Boira, the latest advances made by the Government of Spain for this infrastructure. At the La Encina station, Villena, the delegate stressed the importance of the latest actions that, with an investment of more than half a million euros, “involve the unblocking of the La Encina junction, a key strategic project to advance the north-south rail connection and enhance the links with Europe in high speed”.
“It is the key of the vault to enhance the Mediterranean Corridor, which will allow to consolidate the economic and social development of the Valencian Community”, he stressed. In turn, Boira has described this work as “one of the most important” that are currently being executed in Spain.
Thus, on September 9, the single track section between Xàtiva and El Nudo de La Encina (phase I) will be put into service, which “with the actions carried out will allow the improvement of the services of Neighbourhoods on line C2”, explained Bernabé.
The single track in Iberian width has a double function: to enable the transit of trains during the works of change of width (phase II) and to provide greater capacity to the Xàtive-La Encina section. “In this way, travelers and goods in Iberian width will continue to pass through the second platform at the end of the works of phase II. And all the actions in the section will be completed with the duplication of the Iberian wide track, to be able to meet the growing demand”, added the delegate of the Government in the Valencian Community.
The Madrid-Albacete-València-Estació del Nord conventional line (phase II) is being developed in parallel with the implementation of the first phase of the Xàtive-La Encina section, with the aim of completing the route of the Mediterranean Corridor between València and Alicante. “It will mean connecting Alicante with Valencia in just over 50 minutes. It will adapt the double track route at high speed to connect the three Valencian capitals with Europe in standard width”, he stressed.
For this second phase, €245 million has been allocated. The works will last two years, so the forecast is that in 2026 it can be put into service. “It is the solution to a historical and legitimate claim of Alicante and Valencian civil society and to which the Government of Pedro Sánchez has given an unquestionable response. It is the government that has done the most for the Mediterranean Corridor, that has built more kilometers of the Corridor than any other and that has demonstrated an absolute commitment to this much needed infrastructure,” Bernabé emphasized.
Reprogramming services
The work to be carried out will entail affectations to the railway service, which will be affected by 20%. With the aim of minimising the effects for users as much as possible, Renfe has reprogrammed the services and has proposed alternative road travel routes to strengthen the C2 connection between the Xàtiva – L’Alcúdia de Crespins – Moixent station.