- The Council of Ministers has given the green light to tender two contracts that represent a new impulse to the plan of modernization of the line with more travelers from the entire network of Cerca Madrid.
- The Executive has authorized some 85 million euros to improve the tunnels of the C-5, and another 70.2 million to renew the railway signaling of the second stretch of this line, between Atocha and Humanes.
- The C-5 renewal plan includes an investment of 1.35 billion euros, of which 650 million correspond to actions by Adif to increase the capacity and reliability of the infrastructure.
- The actions constitute a new advance in the development of the Madrid Proximity Plan to promote sustainable proximity mobility in the region.
The Council of Ministers has authorized the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility to tender, through Adif, two contracts that include actions for the renovation and improvement of the C-5 of Cerca Madrid with a joint investment amounting to almost 155 million euros (VAT not included).
The two contracts that have received the green light today from the Executive are part of the Renewal Plan on line C-5, which was presented by the Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, last March to detail the actions planned to modernise the line, increase its capacity and improve accessibility.
This Action Plan of the C-5 has a total investment of 1,350 million euros, of which approximately 650 million euros correspond to Adif, which executes 28 actions for the improvement of the infrastructure, and 700 million euros correspond to Renfe, fundamentally for the purchase of new trains and the construction and adaptation of workshops.
With the authorization of both contracts, an investment is mobilized with the objective of launching new actions within the framework of this plan of integral renewal of the C-5. This line records the largest volume of passengers in the Vicinity of Madrid and last year was used by 72 million people.
Improvement of tunnels: 85 million euros
On the one hand, the Council of Ministers has given the green light to a contract of 84.7 million euros (VAT not included) to undertake actions that will improve and increase safety in case of evacuation in the tunnels of the C-5 line of Cerca de Madrid. The works, which will be carried out without affecting the railway circulation, will be carried out in the tunnels of Atocha-Las Águilas, Méndez Álvaro, Doce de Octubre and Puente Alcocer.
In particular, the contract includes two projects: the civil engineering project for the adaptation of the line tunnels and the civil protection and security facilities. In order to minimize the total execution time and simplify the work, the work plan has been designed together, which will optimize the number of teams and prevent actions of one project from interfering or slowing down those of the other. In this way, the activities in each tunnel are related, including both civil works and civil protection and security facilities.
The works, which will be executed by Adif making them compatible with rail traffic, will be developed in the following four tunnels:
- Atocha-Las Águilas Tunnel, on the stretch between Atocha Cerca’ías and Mó -El Soto. Along its 9.8 kilometers in length it has five stations (Ambassadors, Laguna, Aluche, Maestra Justa Freire-Polideportivo Aluche and Las Águilas) and four emergency exits. Twelve new emergency exits will be built, two of which will have a ventilation well, as well as 13 safe areas and their corresponding access from the tunnel.
- Méndez Álvaro Tunnel, in the stretch between Atocha and Fuenlabrada-Humanes, has a length of 1.8 kilometers in which the Méndez Álvaro station is located. The project includes the implementation of an emergency exit and three safe areas with corresponding access from the tunnel.
- The Twelfth of October tunnel, also located in the stretch between Atocha and Fuenlabrada-Humanes, over 1.6 kilometers currently has an emergency exit and a station (Twelfth of October) and two safe areas will be built with its accesses.
- The Alcocer Bridge Tunnel gives continuity to the two previous ones and along its 2.1 kilometers in length it has the Alcocer Bridge station. In this tunnel, four emergency exits and six safe areas with their corresponding access will be built.
In addition, lighting (handrails with integrated LED lighting) and emergency signage, power supply, communications network, fiberglass reinforced plastic evacuation corridor and anti-intrusion systems (intrusion detection, unauthorized access control and CCTV) will be installed in all four tunnels. Hydrants (fire hydrants) connected to the public water network will also be implemented.
New backlit strips and LED strips, as well as pressurization ventilation, will be placed in the existing emergency exits in the tunnels. In addition, in the Atocha-Las Águilas tunnel, the longest of the route, there will be the civil work of three new ventilation wells with their corresponding facilities (fans, electrical connections, etc.) And fiber laser cable will be installed for fire detection.
Renewal of signage: 70 million euros
On the other hand, the Government has also authorized a contract for 70.2 million euros (VAT not included) for the renewal of railway signalling equipment on the second section of the C-5 line of Cerca Madrid, between Atocha and Humanes, 25.2 kilometers, and its twelve stations.
This action receives the green light after another contract has recently been litigated to perform this same performance on the other section of the line between Mó -El Soto and Ambassadors (20.7 kilometers) and its eleven stations.
The C-5 signalling renewal contract authorised today includes the installation of new, state-of-the-art and higher performance equipment and the various elements that make up the signalling system of a railway line, which will also be ready for a future implementation of the most advanced rail traffic management system, the ERTMS level 2.
Thus, new electronic interlocks (devices that remotely manage all the signals of a railway section) will be deployed in the stations and all the side signals will be replaced by new ones with LED technology.
A new blockage will also be installed (system that guarantees the distance between trains) that will allow it to move in both directions along its two tracks, increasing the capacity and flexibility of the line. It will also provide new track circuits (system that detects the situation of the train on the track) and the Asfa Digital traffic management system.
To guarantee the power and remote management of these equipment and systems, optical fiber and electrical supply and power reinforcement will be provided, as well as uninterrupted back-up power systems.
Progress of the Madrid Proximity Plan
In addition to promoting the renewal of the C-5, the contracts now authorized constitute a new advance in the development of the Madrid Proximity Plan, adding to the dozens of actions of this plan that Adif currently has and simultaneously underway.
These include those intended to expand the network, such as its extension to Soto del Real or the duplication of the Pinar stretch of Las Rozas las Matas, as well as line renovations, such as the Cercedilla-Cotos. Also those that aim to renew equipment, such as signage in the northeast and northwest corridors; the improvement of stations, such as that of Alcalá de Henares; or the construction of new ones, such as those of Pinto La Tenería, Parla Norte and Tres Cantos Norte.
The authorised actions contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) number 9 (promoting reliable, sustainable and quality infrastructures), number 7 (sustainability) and number 11 (cities with access to sustainable, safe and accessible transport). They may also be co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).