Adif Alta Velocidad has awarded a €9.2 million contract for the construction of the new Valencia–Font de Sant Lluís gauge-changer, a facility that forms part of the future Access Channel to the Valencian capital.
The new equipment will replace the current gauge-changer situated at the exit of València–Joaquín Sorolla station, which must be dismantled during the channel works as the area it occupies will be affected.
The new gauge-changer will ensure seamless operation for services switching between standard gauge (1,435 mm) and Iberian gauge (1,668 mm), such as trains from Madrid continuing towards Castellón, Barcelona, or Gandía.
The installation will reuse components from the Pedralba de la Pradería (Zamora) gauge-changer, which was decommissioned following the opening of the Zamora–Taboadela high-speed line.
Located between La Font de Sant Lluís and the Malilla road viaduct, the project includes 661 metres of new trackbed, a 45.5-metre viaduct, a pedestrian footbridge, and the necessary technical equipment.