Pajares tunnel [ES] open for passenger services 30/11/2023

[nwales58]

A RENFE press release today says services starting 30/11/2023. Journey time Madrid-Gijon reduces from around 5h to 3h12. No timetable yet though, tickets on sale from 02/11.

A second phase depends on the mythical S-106 entering service with a further journey time reduction (if variable gauge sets are approved for >250 km/h on standard gauge).

 

[calopez]

Does this mean the end of the spectacular broad gauge line over the Pajares pass?

 

[Jamesrob637]

La Robe to Pola de Lena will open in a month's time so yes it'll cut through, rather than go over the pass

 

[calopez]

That's a shame. I rode the line over the pass back in 2019, and I was hoping to return sometime next year to do it again. But I don't need to go all the way to Spain to sit on a train in a tunnel!

 

[nwales58]

All Alvia through the tunnel, apparently on standard gauge.

Although the Regional over the pass still appears on renfe.com with the same timings from 30/11 it is not available for booking. So check again later to see if it still exists.

The tunnel is now dual gauge (but 25Kv and ETCS) according to a ADIF press release earlier this year (earlier plan was broad gauge only initially). The plan still seems to be that freight will move to the tunnel with suitable traction and the old line closed.

Timetable in the RENFE press release shows time savings of over an hour on Madrid-Oviedo. Morning services leave earlier making day out and back much better, later services hit Madrid about the same time as now with the saving at the Asturias end.

 

[Killingworth]

Good article in The Times; https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/...3?shareToken=8c42e4967dc22d12a4d1a87282f0e3e9

Spain opens high-speed rail line that cost €80m a kilometre​

Isambard Wilkinson
, Madrid
Wednesday November 29 2023, 5.12pm, The Times
Spain

King Felipe joined the inaugural trip of the new high-speed train from Madrid to Oviedo, the capital of the northern principality of Asturias
EUROPA PRESS/THE MEGA AGENCY
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Spain has inaugurated a high-speed train line featuring what has been hailed as one of Europe’s greatest engineering achievements after two decades of construction and massive budget overruns.
King Felipe of Spain opened the line between Madrid and the northern principality of Asturias after the completion of a 50km stretch of mainly tunnels — including one that is 25km long — that passes through the Cantabrian Mountains.
The high-speed rail route through the range, which historically has posed an almost impassable obstacle between the Castile-León table land, or meseta, and the north of the Iberian Peninsula, cost €4 billion.

The opening of the line, which previously ran as far as León, cements Spain’s position as having Europe’s longest high-speed network – the world’s second-largest after China. It is the latest addition to the about 4,000km network since the country opened routes from Madrid to Ourense, northern Galicia, in 2021 and from the capital to the southeast city of Murcia last December.
King Felipe took the inaugural train from Madrid to Oviedo, the Asturian capital, a journey that lasted three hours, ten minutes, an hour and 35 minutes faster than the previous service. Pedro Sánchez, the prime minister, speaking at the ceremony in Oviedo, said: “Spain is not in the rear coach, but rather in the vanguard. More than 4,000km of high speed prove it. We have invested €65 billion in this network.”

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The rail line includes a double tunnel of almost 25km that passes through the Cantabrian Mountains
SECUNDINO PEREZ/EUROPA PRESS/GETTY IMAGES
Officials compared its Pajares Tunnel, which is the sixth longest in Europe, with the Seikan in Japan and Gotthard in Switzerland. The section that crosses the Cantabrian Mountains is considered the most complex railway project carried out in Spain to date. About 4,000 workers built the section, which includes 11 viaducts and 13 tunnels.
The massif it crosses comprises 40 different geological formations. An additional complication was the need to combine two sizes of rail gauge for high-speed and freight traffic on the same line. The construction work was blamed for causing local water shortages and had to overcome difficulties caused by flooding and the instability of some slopes as well as design changes.
The section opened 13 years late and cost €2 billion more than originally forecast, making it one of the most expensive in the world. The final €4 billion price for a route of 49.7 kilometres, represents a cost of 80 million per kilometre, more than five times the average cost of high-speed lines in Spain.

Construction of the high-speed rail line was delayed by 13 years and €2 billion over budget
The mountain section replaces a steep, exposed and winding route punctuated by tunnels that has hardly changed since it was inaugurated by King Alfonso XII, Felipe’s great-grandfather, in 1884. The old 83-kilometre section, which ascends over a 1,387 metre high pass and runs through 85 tunnels, was used by trains travelling at an average speed of 60 km/h. Trains on the new section can run at a maximum speed of 275 km/h.

​

According to official estimates, the high-speed line will increase the number of travellers arriving each year by train to Asturias from 230,000 to 600,000.

Related articles​

Trains in Spain stuck mainly on the plain
February 07 2023, 3.40pm
Isambard Wilkinson
, Madrid


Spanish minister quits over trains too big for tunnels
February 21 2023, 10.40pm
Simon Hunter
, Madrid


https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/...ge-and-she-has-the-pics-to-prove-it-z02bs7wnc

Unlike HS2 this project is finished including a 25k tunnel but there were massive budget overruns.

There is an excellent (and almost deserted when we used it in June 2013) motorway heading north from Leon towards Oviedo and Gijon. EEC funded.

 

[Lxd2]

This is the best description I have seen, from https://egtre.info/wiki/Spain_-_General_Information

• The León - Asturias high speed line between La Robla (Bif. Pajares) and Pola de Lena (- Oviedo), including the 24.6 km Pajares tunnel, opened to public traffic on 30 November 2023, following a ceremonial opening the previous day. It opened as a broad gauge line, but with some mixed gauge track installed. As at that date, from León to Bif. Pajares there were dual gauge sleepers but mostly with only broad gauge rails. From Bif. Pajares, dual gauge rails were fully installed, as far as could be observed. Where the new line joins the old line, just south of Pola de Lena, the new line was broad gauge only, but on gauge convertible sleepers. The old main line over the Pajares Pass remains in use by one Regional train a day each way between Valladolid and Gijón until at least 31 March 2024. It is unclear if, when the passenger service is eventually withdrawn, it will also close to freight traffic.

So there should still be the opportunity to do the old line until at least 31 March next year. Long term I would not be surprised if they reroute the Regional through the base tunnel or just curtail it at Leon, because when I have done the train (I have done it twice), I have never noticed any passengers boarding or alighting at any of the stations over the summit route!

 

[EGTREmod]

This is the best description I have seen, from https://egtre.info/wiki/Spain_-_General_Information

• The León - Asturias high speed line between La Robla (Bif. Pajares) and Pola de Lena (- Oviedo), including the 24.6 km Pajares tunnel, opened to public traffic on 30 November 2023, following a ceremonial opening the previous day. It opened as a broad gauge line, but with some mixed gauge track installed. As at that date, from León to Bif. Pajares there were dual gauge sleepers but mostly with only broad gauge rails. From Bif. Pajares, dual gauge rails were fully installed, as far as could be observed. Where the new line joins the old line, just south of Pola de Lena, the new line was broad gauge only, but on gauge convertible sleepers. The old main line over the Pajares Pass remains in use by one Regional train a day each way between Valladolid and Gijón until at least 31 March 2024. It is unclear if, when the passenger service is eventually withdrawn, it will also close to freight traffic.

So there should still be the opportunity to do the old line until at least 31 March next year. Long term I would not be surprised if they reroute the Regional through the base tunnel or just curtail it at Leon, because when I have done the train (I have done it twice), I have never noticed any passengers boarding or alighting at any of the stations over the summit route!

Thank you. I wrote that, with info from another EGTRE member. I tried "booking" a ticket just now and it was prepared to "sell" me a ticket each way.

 

[HS2isgood]

The local services in Spain are mostly sparse and, in many cases useless. This one on particular, starts off in Valladolid, as a decently used local to Palencia stopping at the useful stations along the route, then stops at Paredes and Villada (around 2k and 1k inhabitants). Sahagún is around 3k, there's other 3 stops between Villada and León, whose only effect is to lose one minute on each. Traffic north of Palencia is sparse, thanks to it being slower than the high-speed trains. It also gets overtaken by a Madrid-Gijón fast in that section.

After León, the ramp proper starts. La Robla and La Pola de Gordón, at 4k and 3k usually have some sparse traffic towards/from León, even though most people just use the bus, the train timetable is worthless. Between La Pola de Gordón and Puente de los Fierros you have the typical Spanish stations which get a bad service, have zero passengers, zero potential, but somehow trains still call.

Then from Fierros to Gijón it's empty, as it does not take local passengers.

 

[Austriantrain]

A second phase depends on the mythical S-106 entering service with a further journey time reduction (if variable gauge sets are approved for >250 km/h on standard gauge).

One more ADIF mystery for me: AFAIK, one of the two tracks of the Variante is dual gauge, and León - La Robla will be too (at least until maybe at some point a new line gets built).

But they have decided to leave La Pola - Gijón as broad gauge only.

So why bother with dual gauge at all? Every passenger train will have to change gauge en route, and there is no advantage in this taking place in La Pola instead of León. Now, apart from the costs of dual gauge, they have to gear up for very complicated operations.

 

[nwales58]

So why bother with dual gauge at all?

Slight difference in max speed for the S-130/730 (250 standard versus 220 broad gauge?) though the max speeds through the tunnel may mean this has no effect.

As long as the through Madrid-Ponferrada Talgo carries on there is still a need for the gauge changer in Leon as well as the new one near La Pola.

Or maybe someone promised a politician standard gauge in Asturias so it was worth a new gauge changer.

 

[HS2isgood]

It's dual gauge because all of the TEN-T network needs to be 25 kV standard gauge. Even though Spain is going to be late complying with it. But otherwise the new line would have got no EU money.

Why is Asturias still Iberian gauge and 3 kV? Iberian gauge for freight continuity, Asturias will be among the last to change gauge, as it's starting by the Mediterranean Mainline. 3 kV because 463s wouldn't be able to run the local services otherwise.

 

[Austriantrain]

It's dual gauge because all of the TEN-T network needs to be 25 kV standard gauge. Even though Spain is going to be late complying with it. But otherwise the new line would have got no EU money.

Thanks! Idiotic rules obviously (prepared for standard gauge should be enough). 25 kV only cannot be correct incidentally, lots of 15 kV lines being built with EU money on TEN-T lines (would not make any sense in Spain, I do know!)

 

[HS2isgood]

Thanks! Idiotic rules obviously (prepared for standard gauge should be enough). 25 kV only cannot be correct incidentally, lots of 15 kV lines being built with EU money on TEN-T lines (would not make any sense in Spain, I do know!)

Oh yes there's 15 or 16 I don't remember too

 

[Austriantrain]

Oh yes there's 15 or 16 I don't remember too

BTW did Spain obtain an exception for the Extremadura LAV? AFAIK also part of TEN-T, but only prepared for standard gauge, not built to it.

 

[HS2isgood]

BTW did Spain obtain an exception for the Extremadura LAV? AFAIK also part of TEN-T, but only prepared for standard gauge, not built to it.

Nope, has to be switched once Talavera to Toledo opens. Thing is it's delayed because of Toledo and Navalmoral NIMBYs

BTW did Spain obtain an exception for the Extremadura LAV? AFAIK also part of TEN-T, but only prepared for standard gauge, not built to it.

Nope, has to be switched once Talavera to Toledo opens. Thing is it's delayed because of Toledo and Navalmoral NIMBYs


Idk why the message doubled

 

[Austriantrain]

Slight difference in max speed for the S-130/730 (250 standard versus 220 broad gauge?) though the max speeds through the tunnel may mean this has no effect.

Funnily enough, as long as max speed on dual-gauge remains at 160 km/h (and - albeit with almost no effect - even if they raise it to 200), passenger trains would run faster if they switch gauge at Leon and run through the tunnel in the broad gauge bore only, leaving the broad-gauge freight to use the dual-gauge bore.

Just goes to show what an idiocy this all is; that doesn't change now knowing that the idiots are the EU and not ADIF (and no, I am not an anti-EU guy, buy they often really should be smarter about doing things - in this case, accepting that "standard-gauge ready" should be enough for now, and reclaiming money if it does not get changed over within, say, the next 15-20 years).

 

[nwales58]

Funnily enough, as long as max speed on dual-gauge remains at 160 km/h ... passenger trains would run faster if they switch gauge at Leon and run through the tunnel in the broad gauge bore

I had forgotten the lower limit on dual-gauge track. So the large time saving will eventually come from dual guage trains able to run at 300 km/h (!) on the long standard gauge run between Leon and Madrid rather than north of Leon.

Just goes to show what an idiocy this all is ... in this case, accepting that "standard-gauge ready" should be enough for now

And the Mediterranean Corridor shows the value of renovating and upgrading sections ready for standard gauge progressively over decades as budget and capabilities allow, finally relaying as standard gauge once enough is complete for the network to benefit operationally.