Adif gives a boost to the AVE to Cartagena and tenders the first section of 17.7 kilometers

Image of the Reguerón pergola. / ADIF

It will invest 155 million in a new double track platform between Torre Pacheco and Sucina, parallel to the current line; the work will last three years

It is Cartagena’s turn for its connection to the high-speed rail network and the Mediterranean Corridor. Adif has unblocked the project, tendering the first section between Torre Pacheco and Riquelme (Sucina) with a budget of 155.6 million euros and an execution period of three years. The second section, between Cartagena and Torre Pacheco, is scheduled to be tendered before the end of this year. In 2023 the project for the third part will be released, between Riquelme and Reguerón.

Adif reported yesterday that it will undertake a new phase of the works of the high-speed connection to Cartagena, “a new milestone with which it adds kilometers to the Mediterranean Corridor, a strategic infrastructure for the country.” The tender for the construction contract for the Riquelme-Torre Pacheco section, which was launched this week, has a cost of 155.6 million euros and an estimated execution period of 36 months.

The section to be executed runs through the municipalities of Murcia and Torre Pacheco, along 17.7 kilometres, with a new double-track high-speed platform, parallel to the current Chinchilla-Cartagena line, in conventional gauge. Along its route, the construction of 7 viaducts is projected, with a total length of 347 meters, 12 overpasses, one underpass and 44 transversal drainage works. The project also includes various expansion and remodeling actions at the Balsicas-Mar Menor and Torre Pacheco stations. With this action, a new section of the new connection of the Mediterranean Corridor to Cartagena in standard gauge will be completed.

As LA TRUTH published last week, the central government has taken the step that was expected to promote the works, and prevent Cartagena from continuing to hang off the Mediterranean Corridor any longer, with the tender for the first section, as stated in the PSRM-PSOE document on infrastructures. The works will start in the coming months, said the government delegate, José Vélez.

Next year it is expected that the drafting of the project for the third part of the route, between Riquelme and El Reguerón, will be put out to tender, maintaining the current track and building another international gauge parallel track. The planned budget is 543 million euros. In 2019, the first 500 meters of burial in Cartagena were already undertaken. It is planned to bury up to 3.1 kilometers with an approximate budget of 82 million euros.

Likewise, the comprehensive rehabilitation project for the Cartagena station has been awarded with an investment of 6.8 million euros, while the rehabilitation of the Torre Pacheco station has a budget of one million euros. Adif is also working on diverting the corridor to Escombreras and the Los Camachos industrial estate, with a budget of 175 million euros.

Another work put out to tender this week is the Beniel bypass, which will allow direct connection between Cartagena and the Mediterranean Corridor, towards Alicante, without passing through Murcia.

“An important step”

The Government delegate, José Vélez, considers that “it is yet another advance in the arrival of high speed in Cartagena. A very important step has been taken in the structuring of the Region, taking this project out of the drawer, which was kept by previous governments». He added that new stretches will be tendered in the coming months. “The development of the works is going at a very good pace and despite the banners and the infamous photos, the Government of Spain is developing the largest investment in infrastructure in the history of our Region.” He pointed out that at the end of the year high speed will arrive in Murcia. “While the regional government sells smoke, the Pedro Sánchez government makes us move forward,” he said.

The Minister of Development and Infrastructure, José Ramóm Díez de Revenga, indicated on his Twitter account that “we continue to have positive reactions to the Infrastructure Agreement. This project slept in a drawer three years ago. It was clear that society needed to speak.

Adif points out that between 2018 and 2022 more than 240 tenders have been carried out in the entire Mediterranean Corridor -more than one per week-, for a value of more than 3,600 million euros. Specifically, the actions that are underway will account for more than 2,500 million in awards. Currently, 75% of the works are being developed. «The Mediterranean Corridor is a critical infrastructure for the Region of Murcia and the country, and is aligned with the European recovery strategy that has directed its resources to projects that will promote the green and digital economy and contribute to the development of the industrial and productive fabric of the regions. It is co-financed by European funds, including 3,084 million from the Recovery Plan,” says Adif.

In the Region of Murcia, most of the sections that will make up the corridor, totaling about 190 kilometres, are under construction. “In the Murcia-Cartagena section, all the planned actions are underway, when before June 2018 all the projects were blocked, undefined or with unsatisfactory solutions,” he indicates. He confirms that high speed will be in Murcia this year. And he points out that in the future, the El Carmen station will host eight tracks that will allow the circulation of up to 90 commuter, freight and high-speed trains.

Nearby with Alicante

Regarding the commuter lines between Murcia and Alicante, remember that the current conventional gauge line between San Isidro and Beniel will be dismantled, once the second track of the high-speed line between Callosa and Murcia is put into service.