Adif Alta Velocidad has awarded a €261,465 contract for the design of track-laying works on the so-called Olmedo bypass, an 8.2 km connection that will link the Madrid–Valladolid and Madrid–Galicia high-speed lines near this Castilian town.
The infrastructure, in which a total of €40 million is being invested, will allow transverse high-speed journeys across the northern half of the country without the need to route via Madrid.
The design project will define the works required to install ballast, sleepers, rail, and pointwork within the bypass, so that the track-laying contract can be tendered as soon as the formation is complete — construction of which is progressing on schedule.
Regarding works currently under way, Adif has already completed the overbridge structure spanning the CL-602 road, three of the four overbridges, one underbridge, and the transverse drainage. Work is also advancing on the 220-metre viaduct over the River Adaja, where both abutments and one of the three piers have been erected.
Once the track has been laid, the bypass will be completed with electrification and signalling and communications systems under separate subsequent contracts. The connection will facilitate direct services between Galicia, Castilla y León, Asturias, Aragon, and Catalonia, with plans to extend coverage to Cantabria, Navarre, and the Basque Country as other lines currently under construction progress.