- The works start in the surroundings of the station of Soto del Real and will gradually advance towards Colmenar Viejo.
- The work enters a new phase after the platform performances are practically finished along the more than 10 km of route.
- It represents a global investment of 75 million euros with the aim of extending the railway service to Soto del Real and its area of influence.
- Progress is also being made in the construction of ditches, drains and pipelines, as well as in security installations and communications.
The Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, through Adif, has begun the track assembly work of the extension of the C-4b line of Cerca Madrid between Colmenar Viejo and Soto del Real, a new milestone of an action that will allow the extension of the railway service to Soto del Real, and its area of influence, with a global investment of about 75 million euros.
The work has begun in the area of the Soto del Real station and will continue progressively in the direction of Colmenar Viejo. This phase includes the placement of sleepers, rails and ballast, which will make up the new railway infrastructure on which the trains of Proxias will circulate.
With the beginning of the track assembly, the action enters a new constructive phase after having practically completed the new railway platform along more than 10 kilometers of the old outdated route. The works have included important land movements through excavations in dismantling and execution of embankments, the extension of the platform to 13 meters - so that in the future it can house double track if demand makes it necessary - as well as the formation of the layers of seat on which the new track will be supported and the lifting of the previous one.
In addition, existing structures and transversal drainage works have been adapted, steps for fauna have been executed and significant progress has been made in the construction of the platforms and the lower pass of the Soto del Real station.
In parallel, complementary actions essential for the implementation of the line continue to be developed, including the execution of longitudinal drainage, ditches and pipelines for future railway installations. Adif also makes progress in the control, command and signalling, communications and energy facilities, adapted to the needs of the circulation of trains in the vicinity.
Expansion of the Neighbourhoods network
The extension of the C-4b line, an outstanding action of the Madrid Commuter Plan, contemplates in this phase of the works the recovery and modernization of the existing railway section between Colmenar Viejo and Soto del Real through the remodeling of its platform, the assembly of a new track, and the adaptation of the railway facilities necessary for the future exploitation of the line.
In addition, in the phases that are pending to begin soon, Adif will electrify the line and rehabilitate and remodel the historic building of the Soto del Real station to transform it into the new station of Cerca Soto Sur. A new building will also be built for restoration, a parking lot and the accesses and the environment will be renovated.
The extension of the C-4b line will strengthen the public transport offer in the northern corridor of the Community of Madrid, promoting more efficient, accessible and sustainable mobility, while improving the connection of Soto del Real and the Sierra Norte with the metropolitan area of Madrid. The action is part of Adif’s strategy to promote and modernise the conventional and local railway network.
These actions contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), which has among its goals the development of reliable, sustainable, resilient and quality infrastructures.