Adif has awarded the first stage of works for the Santander railway integration project, worth €37.8 million. These initial actions include diverting the Iberian-gauge tracks, constructing a unified temporary passenger station, and redeveloping the track yard, which will free up more than 25,000 m² alongside Castilla Street.
This move honours the commitments made by the monitoring committee of the agreement signed by Adif, Renfe, the Government of Cantabria, and Santander City Council. It follows the tender, launched in December, for a new railway-use building, as well as ongoing design projects to modernise and expand the existing passenger building — fully financed by Adif — and to reorganise the overall station complex, co-financed by the regional and municipal administrations.
Once integration works are completed, Santander will boast a fully modernised, unified station housed in the refurbished north pavilion, expanded by a new volume that will link Estaciones Square with Paseo del Agua. The tracks and platforms will be covered from the station throat up to the Alta-Castilla footbridge, creating 54,000 m² of new surface area, including 50,000 m² of pedestrian and green space, 500 parking spaces, and room for a Railway Museum.
According to the Ministry, the track yard will be optimised to enhance operational efficiency, release urban land, and ensure better integration of the railway into the city centre. The total cost of the project is estimated at around €330 million.