Madrid–León high-speed rail line

Madrid–León high-speed line
Rail lab (ADIF series 330) in El Goloso (Madrid) heading towards Colmenar Viejo eleven days before the opening of the line.
Overview
Native name	Línea de Alta Velocidad Madrid - León
Type	high-speed rail
Status	operational
Locale	Spain
Termini	Madrid Chamartín León
Stations	5
Operation
Opened	29 September 2015 (2015-09-29)
Technical
Line length	342.3 km (212.7 mi)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	25 kV 50 Hz AC
Operating speed	350 km/h (220 mph)
Route map future León-Asturias high-speed section 345.45 León, Spain railway station LE-20 (Avenida de Portugal) LE-30 LE-11 Torneros Bridge (581 m) Intersection with conventional line Palencia-La Coruña (606 m) Río Esla (660 m) Canal de la margen izquierda del Porma (63 m) A-231 (152 m) Arroyo de Valdearcos (86 m) Canal del Porma (136 m) A-231 (152 m) N-601 and Cañada Real Leonesa (168 m) A-60 Crossover Santas Martas Valle de la Utielga (315 m) Valle de la Granja (315 m) Bridge over Camino de Santiago path Arroyo del Olmo (167 m) crossing over A-231 (152 m) Arroyo del Coso (116 m) Bridge over Camino de Santiago path (442 m) N-120 Arroyo del Valle Río Cea (116 m) Río Valderaduey (82 m) Intersection with conventional line Palencia-La Coruña (53 m) 276.5 Villada maintenance center Río Sequillo (90 m) Río de la Huerga (185 m) Río Valdeguinate (85 m) Río Retortillo (248 m) Intersection with conventional line Palencia-La Coruña (130 m) Crossover Paredes de Nava Canal de Castilla Ramal de Campos (116 m) Canal de Castilla Ramal Sur (110 m) A-65 230.6 Palencia railway station A-67 Link to conventional line to Palencia (Gauge changer) Link with Venta de Baños-Burgos-Vitoria high-speed section Cerrato Tunnel (500 m) A-62 (120 m) N-620 (138 m) Intersection with conventional line Madrid-Hendaya (266 m) Link with Venta de Baños-Burgos-Vitoria high-speed section 217.5 Venta de Baños railway station Río Pisuerga (610 m) Charcón bridge (130 m) Arroyo Cevico (250 m) 208.4 Crossover Dueñas Arroyo Madrazo (50 m) Peña Rayada Tunnel (2000 m) Río Pisuerga (1366 m) Acequia de Santovenia (74 m) Intersection with conventional line Madrid-Hendaya 181.9 Start of the Valladolid-León section 181.2 Level crossing La Pilarica 180,2 Link to conventional line to Burgos (Gauge changer) 179.6 Valladolid-Campo Grande railway station conventional line to Madrid 173,1 Level crossing (Pinar de Antequera) 168.0 Río Duero Link to conventional line Madrid-Irun (Gauge changer) 159.6 Valdestillas / Transition double track to single track 144.0 Intersection with conventional Line Madrid-Irun towards Olmedo-Zamora-Galicia (in draft) Link to Madrid–Galicia 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 (Future Túnel de la risa between Puerta de Atocha-Chamartín)

The Madrid–León high-speed rail line (Spanish language: Línea de Alta Velocidad Madrid - León) was inaugurated on 29 September 2015. The line is built to standard gauge and gauge changers are provided at strategic points to allow interchange with older Spanish railways which were built to Iberian gauge.

History

The line was inaugurated in two stages. Its first 179.6 km section Madrid - Segovia - Valladolid opened for commercial service on 23 December 2007 and is the first instalment of a high-speed rail corridor in the north and northwest of Spain. AVE services reduced journey times between Madrid and Valladolid from 2½ hours to 56 minutes at an average speed of 192 kilometres per hour (119 mph). The second 162.7 km section Valladolid-Venta de Baños-León opened on 29 September 2015 and was built at a cost of €1,62bn for operation at up to 350 km/h. Since then the journey time between Madrid and León was cut by 44 min to 2 h 6 min on AVE trains.^[1]

Plan for 2015-2020

According to this, the line will be extended to reach the region of Asturias and will connect the cities of Oviedo and Gijón to the high-speed network via the Pajares Base Tunnel (Variante de Pajares).^[2]

The line will be connected with the following other HSR (High-speed rail) lines:

• Madrid–Galicia high-speed rail line, and this in turn with the Atlantic Axis high-speed rail line
• HSR Valladolid - Burgos - Vitoria, and this in turn to the future HSR Logroño-Miranda de Ebro and the HSR Basque Y.
• Other high-speed lines departing from Madrid, with the future construction of a third tunnel with wide international routes between Chamartin and Atocha stations.

Features

This line is constructed for trains running at up to 350 kilometres per hour (220 mph). ERTMS type II signaling and ASFA digital diversion clearance of 220 kilometres per hour (140 mph) and a reduction of over 70 kilometres (43 mi) (28%) compared to the general layout of the Northern or Imperial Line, due to the tunnels of San Pedro and Guadarrama through Sierra de Guadarrama, 9 and 28 km respectively. In the section between Valladolid and León the route comprises 78,7 km of double track and two single-track sections totalling 84 km. Gauge changers are installed at Chamartin Valdestillas, Valladolid, León and Villamuriel south of Palencia and this has reduced travel times on all routes between Madrid and Spain's north-northwest.^[3]

Route

(The figures indicate kilometres from Madrid)

• Gauge changer
• 345.450 León AV (166,141 km from Valladolid Campo Grande)
• 344.277 Junction Estadio Municipal
• 343.879 Classification changer
• 339.527 Vilecha changer
• 338.245 Junction Vilecha
• 320.332 PCA Luengos
• 297.591 Junction Las Arenas
• 276.537 Villada AV maintenance center
• 259.999 Junction Las Barreras
• 244.212 PCA Becerril
• 231.315 Level crossing Los Tres Pasos
• 230.627 Palencia
• 224.754 Villamuriel changer
• 223.530 Junction Cerrato AV
• 222.699 Desvío 10 of the Junction Cerrato
• 217.578 Junction Venta de Baños AV
• 208.447 Crossover Dueñas AV
• 198.097 PCA Valoria
• 187.360 Junction Las Pajareras
• 186.283 Junction Canal del Duero
• 181.241 Level crossing La Pilarica
• 179.6 Valladolid-Campo Grande
• 173.1 Level crossing (Pinar de Antequera)
• 168.0 Rio Duero
• conventional line Madrid-Irun (Gauge changer)
• 159.6 Valdestillas / Transition double track to single track
• 144.0 Conventional Line Madrid-Irun
• Future link L.A.V. Olmedo-Zamora-Galicia (in draft)
• Link L.A.V. Olmedo-Zamora-Galicia
• Intersection with N-601
• 133.0 Olmedo
• 106.6 Nava de la Asunción
• 97.1 to 94.4 Tabladillo Tunnel
• 86.0 Garcillán
• 72.5 to 70.7 Puentecilla Tunnel
• Conventional Line Intersection with Villa
• 68.3 Segovia Guiomar
• 66.2 to 37.5 Guadarrama Tunnels
• 35.5 Soto del Real
• Junction with conventional line Madrid-Burgos
• 32.9 Arroyo Valley Viaduct
• 32.1 to 23.2 tunnels of Cerro de San Pedro
• Junction with conventional line Madrid-Burgos
• 18.9 Trivialization Post Tres Cantos
• Junction with conventional line Madrid-Burgos
• Line Conv. 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)
• Madrid-Chamartin 0.50
• End of Line (future AV tunnel-Chamartin Atocha)

Key facts

• Inauguration: 22 December 2007 for the section Madrid–Valladolid (entry into service the next day). 29 September 2015 for the section Valladolid–León.
• Approximate cost: 4,205 million euro for the section Madrid–Valladolid (about 700 M € are for the reform of the RAF of Valladolid). 1,620 million euro for the section Valladolid–León.
• Tender: commissioned by the Government to GIF (today ADIF) in 1998.
• Intermediate stations: Segovia Guiomar (kilometre post 68.3), Valladolid, Venta de Baños.
• At kilometre post 133.8 there is a junction for the future Madrid–Galicia high-speed rail line, negotiable at up to 220 km/h.

Technical details

• Length 179.6 km Madrid–Valladolid + 162.7 km Valladolid–León
• Total length in tunnels 42,1 km
• Total length on viaducts 2 km
• UIC gauge (1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in))
• Electrification 25 kV 50 Hz AC
• Maximum speed 350 km/h
• Digital Signage ASFA and ERTMS II
• Platform width 16 m
• PAET 3 (Soto del Real, Garcillán and Olmedo)
• PB 3 (Tres Cantos, Nava, Valdestillas)
• Width Changers 3 (Chamartin Valdestillas, Valladolid)

PB = Puesto de Banalización (transition from double to single track?)
PAET = Puesto de Adelantamiento y Estacionamiento de Trenes (passing loop?)

Special projects

The entrance to the San Pedro tunnels

• Guadarrama Tunnel (28,377 m)
• Tunnels of San Pedro (8,930 m)
• Arroyo Valley Viaduct (1,796 m, maximum height 77.8 m)
• Tabladillo tunnel (2 km)
• Puentecilla Tunnel (1900 m)
• Tunel del Pinar de Antequera (1 km) (opening 8 November 2009)

Reduced travel times

Talgo trains were replaced by Alvia trains (RENFE Class 130) and these operate on both the high-speed line and the older lines.

These trains pass through the gauge changers at Valladolid and Valdestillas or to join the General Line North from this high speed line and back by reducing their travel time by reducing the distance and increasing the commercial speed in the stretch Madrid–Valladolid.

The Talgo Madrid-Galicia was diverted later by LAV circulating until Valdestillas changer, which reverses the direction of travel and change of locomotive. In this case the time reduction has been lower, only 15-20 min, while in the Galicia-Madrid train has been an advantage to using the best line to be able to recover the backlog.

Services that use these lines

A northbound AVE-S 102 train crosses the Arroyo del Valle Viaduct soon after the line opened

• AVE Chamartin Madrid–Segovia–Valladolid, Campo Grande–Palencia–Léon at 2:13 S-102
• AVE Chamartin Madrid–Valladolid, Campo Grande–Palencia–Léon at 2:06 S-102
• Avant-Chamartin Madrid-Segovia Guiomar 0:35 nonstop S121
• Avant Valladolid to Madrid Chamartin station at 1:10 Segovia Guiomar S121
• Alvia Madrid-Chamartin Hendaye Segovia Guiomar
• Valladolid-Campo Grande
• Burgos
• Miranda de Ebro
• Vitoria-Gasteiz
• Alsasua
• San Sebastian
• Irun S130 gauge change in Valladolid / Valdestillas
• Alvia Bilbao-Madrid-Chamartin Abando Segovia Guiomar
• Valladolid-Campo Grande
• Burgos S130 gauge change in Valladolid / Valdestillas
• Alvia Madrid-Chamartin Santander Segovia Guiomar
• Valladolid-Campo Grande
• Palencia
• Aguilar de Campóo
• Reinosa
• Torrelavega S130 gauge change in Valladolid / Valdestillas
  • 1 train per day each direction continues its journey to Alicante
• Alvia Madrid-Chamartin Gijón-suburban Segovia Guiomar
• Valladolid-Campo Grande
• Palencia
• Sahagun
• Léon
• Mieres-Puente
• Oviedo
• Jovellanos Gijón S130-wide change in Valladolid / Valdestillas
  • 1 train per day each direction continues its journey to Alicante
• Talgo Madrid-Chamartin La Coruna Segovia Guiomar
• Medina del Campo
• Zamora
• Puebla de Sanabria
• The Gudiña
• Orense-Joint
• Carballiño
• Santiago de Compostela Talgo VI gauge change in Valdestillas
• Talgo Madrid-Chamartin Pontevedra (*)
• Guillarei
• Redondela
• Vigo Talgo VI (*) circulates together with the branch of La Coruna to Orense
  • gauge change in Valdestillas

Speed

The maximum permissible speed in line with ERTMS II in service are shown below. Note that trains are permitted to move at a maximum of 300 kilometres per hour (190 mph) over 147 kilometres (91 mi) of the line.

References

• Article in Ferropedia
• Construction of the LAV dossier SkyscraperCity
• Construction of the LAV-2 dossier SkyscraperCity
• Construction of the LAV, thread 1 tranvia.org
• Construction of the LAV, thread 2 tranvia.org

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Madrid–Valladolid high-speed rail line.

Coordinates: 40°59′53″N 4°17′21″W / 40.9981°N 4.2891°W / 40.9981; -4.2891