SPAIN: The first test runs have been undertaken for the planned reopening of the 4·7 km tramway in Jaén, which closed in 2011 after just 17 days of operation.
Andalucía’s public works department began test running at the end of November to verify that the five Alstom trams had been adequately overhauled after 13 years in storage, and that the infrastructure had been restored to a usable condition. Work to revive the line began in October 2023 following the allocation of EU funding.
The Jaén trams have been repainted in the livery used by Andalucía for the urban rail networks in Granada and Cádiz.
Tenders have been called for replacement of the medium voltage power supply network, which will require 21 km of underground cabling. The tramway’s control software is also considered obsolete and will need replacement.
The line initially opened for trial running on May 3 2011 with passengers being carried free of charge. However, services were suspended shortly afterwards by court order, after a bus operator complained about unfair competition.
