The Council of Ministers has authorised an investment of €155 million to improve tunnel safety and renew signalling on Madrid’s Cercanías C-5 line, the busiest in the network, carrying 72 million passengers annually.
This measure forms part of the line’s overarching modernisation programme, valued at €1.35 billion, within which some interventions have had to be rescheduled due to the undergrounding of the A-5 motorway within Madrid’s municipal boundary.
The approved package comprises two principal contracts. On the one hand, Adif will allocate €84.7 million to tunnel safety enhancements. On the other, €70.2 million will be invested in the comprehensive renewal of signalling systems between Atocha and Humanes, a 25.2 km section with twelve stations.
Tunnel safety enhancements on C-5
Within tunnels, works focus on strengthening evacuation and civil protection conditions without impacting railway operations. Key measures include the construction of new emergency exits—up to twelve on the Atocha–Las Águilas section—the provision of safe areas, and the installation of advanced systems such as LED handrail-integrated lighting, fibre-optic linear heat detection for fire detection, and anti-intrusion systems. New ventilation shafts will also be delivered, alongside upgrades to communications and power supply installations.
Electronic interlockings, new track circuits and reversible working (BAB)
In parallel, signalling renewal will deliver higher levels of capacity and reliability. The project includes the deployment of electronic interlockings, new LED signals, track circuits, and a reversible automatic block system (Bloqueo Automático Banalizado, BAB), enabling bidirectional running on both tracks. The infrastructure will also be future-proofed for the implementation of ERTMS Level 2, representing a step change in traffic management capability.
However, full delivery of the C-5 modernisation programme remains contingent on other major urban works in south-west Madrid. In particular, the A-5 undergrounding scheme has required timetable adjustments and the postponement of platform extension works at underground stations. These works are necessary to accommodate new 200 m-long rolling stock. They require service interruptions, originally planned for this year, which would have precluded the use of rail as an alternative during roadworks.
These investments form part of the Cercanías Madrid Plan, aimed at increasing capacity, improving reliability, and promoting more sustainable mobility.