Madrid–Galicia high-speed rail line
Overview
Status	in operation
Owner	Adif
Locale	Spain
Termini	Madrid Chamartín Santiago de Compostela
Service
Type	High-speed rail
Operator(s)	Renfe Operadora
Technical
Line length	415.7 km (258.3 mi)
Number of tracks	Double track
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	25 kV 50 Hz
Operating speed	300 km/h
Route map km length in m 462,533 Orense-Empalme to conventional line to/from Monforte Miño river 400m N-120 Bouzachas Tunnel 1015m Canivelos road bridge 95m Road bridge over Lonia river 120m Montealegre Tunnel 3450m Road bridge over Regueiro Zain 525m conventional line Zamora-Orense Baraña river 276m N-525 N-525 Rande Tunnel 5106m 448,539 Road bridge over Taboadela river 20m Road bridge Arroyo Pazos 64m Os Casares Tunnel 3490m conventional line Zamora-Orense 57m conventional line Zamora-Orense 176,99m Road bridge over Arnoia river 799m Bouzas Tunnel 852,6m Bouzas road bridge 216m conventional line Zamora-Orense 57,19m Miamán road bridge 177m conventional line Zamora-Orense Miamán conventional line Zamora-Orense Seiró Tunnel 1798m Valdemouro road bridge 411m conventional line Zamora-Orense conventional line Zamora-Orense Prado Tunnel 7606m Portela road bridge 246m conventional line Zamora-Orense Corga de Vela Tunnel 1170m Os Portos road bridge 246m conventional line Zamora-Orense conventional line Zamora-Orense El Corno Tunnel 8569,60m Felgueira II bridge 80m Felgueira I bridge 22m Cerdedelo Tunnel Támega road bridge conventional line Zamora-Orense Portocamba Tunnel conventional line Zamora-Orense conventional line Zamora-Orense conventional line Zamora-Orense conventional line Zamora-Orense conventional line Zamora-Orense Bolaños Tunnel conventional line Zamora-Orense conventional line Zamora-Orense Medina del Campo-Orense Espiño Tunnel 7895m conventional line Zamora-Orense 382,613 A Gudiña-Porta de Galicia O Cañizo Tunnel 5360m O Pereiro conventional line Zamora-Orense Vilavella Tunnel 735m Vilavella road bridge 105m conventional line Zamora-Orense A-52 La Canda Tunnel 7224m La Canda Tunnel Tuela road bridge Lubián Tunnel Pedro road bridge Hedroso Tunnel Leira river Padornelo Tunnel Los Perdegales road bridge Requejo Tunnel Pedralba Tunnel convencional line Zamora-Orense 343,784 convencional line from/to Ourense Puebla Oeste bridge Puebla Tunnel Viaducto de Puebla Este Otero Tunnel Otero road bridge 170m 333,588 Sanabria AV Palacios road bridge 419m Asturianos road bridge 158m Arroyo de Valchanos Mombuey N-631 Embalse de Nuestra Señora de Agavanzal 299,446 Otero de Bodas 274,993 Tábara N-631 Arroyo de Valdurcos Esla river N-630 Arroyo de Las Callejinas N-630 249,434 Montamarta Arroyo de Valdurcos Autovía del Duero (A-11) La Campiña Tunnel Arroyo de Valderrey 80m Valorio Tunnel 193m Bolón Tunnel 431m 233,0 conventional line from/to Ourense 232.4 Zamora conventional line from/to Medina del Campo Autovía del Duero (A-11) Viaducto del Río Valderaduey Autovía Ruta de la Plata (A-66) 223.2 Crossover Coreses Intersection with conventional line Medina-Zamora N-122 Duero river Duero river bridge 203.4 Semi-PAET Toro Guareña river Arroyo del Puente Arroyo del Caño Arroyo de la Pitanza A-62 Intersection with conventional line Medina-Salamanca 156.5 Gauge changer in Medina towards Salamanca 155.4 Medina del Campo AV Autovía del Noroeste (A-6) conventional line Madrid-Hendaya Zapardiel river bridge over A-6 conventional line Olmedo-Medina Adaja river road bridge 144.4 PCA Pozal de Gallinas and future link to Valladolid Intersection with conventional line Olmedo-Medina 137.1 Junction to eliminate gauge changer of Medina del Campo Start of the Olmedo–Galicia section 133,8 Junction Medina Link to Madrid–Asturias high-speed rail line N-601 133.0 Olmedo 106.6 Crossover Nava de la Asunción 97.1 94.4 Tabladillo Tunnel 86.0 Garcillán 72.5 70.7 Puentecilla Tunnel Intersection with conventional line Villa AP-61 68.3 Segovia-Guiomar railway station 66.2 37.5 Guadarrama Tunnels 35.5 Miraflores de la Sierra Intersection with conventional line Madrid-Burgos 32.9 Arroyo Valley bridge 32.1 23.2 Tunnels of Cerro de San Pedro Intersection with conventional line Madrid-Burgos 18.9 Crossover Tres Cantos Intersection with conventional line Madrid-Burgos Intersection with conv. line Madrid-Alcobendas/S.S. de los Reyes Fuencarral maintenance center Intersection with link Hortaleza-Pitis Intersection with link Hortaleza-Chamartin Link to Chamartin Iberian gauge (width changer) 0.50 Madrid Chamartín railway station End of the line (Túnel de la risa between Puerta de Atocha-Chamartín)

The Madrid–Galicia high-speed rail line is a high-speed railway line in Spain that links the city of Madrid with the region of Galicia via the cities of Olmedo, Zamora, Ourense and Santiago de Compostela. The line also connects the Atlantic Axis high-speed rail line to the rest of the Spanish AVE high-speed network. The Madrid–Galicia high-speed rail line is constructed as double electrified line and is designed for trains running at speeds up to 350 kilometres per hour (220 mph).^[1]

History

The line shares the same railway for the section between Madrid and Olmedo with the Madrid–Asturias high-speed rail line. This part was inaugurated on 23 December 2007 along with the entire section Madrid–Segovia–Valladolid. Construction on the section between Ourense and Santiago de Compostela started in 2004 and the 87.1 km (54.1 mi) part was completed and connected with the Atlantic Axis high-speed rail line in Santiago de Compostela on 10 December 2011. This part of the line has a track gauge of 1,668 mm (5 ft 5+21⁄32 in) Iberian gauge, which is due to be converted to 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge later..^[1] Since November 2015, trains in Alvia commercial service used this part on routes between Galicia and other Spanish regions.

In July 2015 it was announced that the traction power supply for the Olmedo-Pedralba de la Pradería (near Puebla de Sanabria) section would be switched-on on 7 August 2015.^[2] The 99 km (62 mi) southern section, between Olmedo (130 km (81 mi) north of Madrid on the Madrid–Leon line) and Zamora entered revenue service on 17 December 2015 and initially served by Alvia trains.^[3][4] In January 2017 it was announced that the boring of the Bolaños tunnels along the Verín - Ourense section of the line was completed.^[5] The central part, which crosses some of Spain's most remote and fragile natural areas, was initially expected to open in 2018,^[6][7] but has again been delayed to end 2021.^[8] The 110 km (68 mi) new built section between Zamora and Otero de Sanabria (near Puebla de Sanabria) was completed at a cost of 898 million euros and put in service on 26 October 2020. It is capable for speeds up to 350 km/h (217 mph).^[9] The Sanabria AV high-speed rail station opened on 22 July 2021.^[10] The 119.4 km (74.2 mi) last remaining part between Puebla de Sanabria and Ourense was completed on 21 December 2021 and the whole line was commercially inaugurated in AVE service on 21 December 2021, after 20 years of work.^[11]

Operations

There are 10 services each day in both directions.^[12] AVE trains run between Madrid and Ourense with a maximum operating speed of 300 km/h (186 mph) to cover the distance in 2h 15min, whilst certification is ongoing for variable gauge Talgo AVRIL trains to achieve 330 km/h (205 mph) in service. In addition Alvia services in the line on class 130 and 730 gauge-changing trains with a commercial speed of 250 km/h (155 mph), connect Madrid to Santiago de Compostela, Pontevedra, Vigo, Lugo, A Coruña and Ferrol.^[13]

Incidents

In July 2013, an S730 train derailed in a non-LAV (conventional line) stretch near the Santiago de Compostela station.

References