ON MARCH 27 the Andaluc?a regional government announced that it had awarded a joint venture of OHL and Vera a k43?6m contract to build the 12?5?km Marchena - Osuna section of a high speed line that will eventually link Sevilla with Granada and Almer?a. Work is expected to take 28 months.The regional government is building the 128?km between Sevilla and the C?rdoba - M?laga high speed line at Antequera. A completely new alignment running from Santa Justa station in Sevilla via the airport to Marchena is expected to cost k700m from Marchena to Antequera the line will follow the existing 1 668?mm gauge railway. By this summer work should be underway on 44% of the route.Construction between Antequera and Almer?a is being taken forward by the Ministry of Development. Work is underway to convert the existing Antequera - Granada line, and route studies are in progress for Granada - Almer?a. Once completed, the high speed line will cut journey times from Sevilla to 54?min to M?laga, 66?min to Granada and 150?min to Almer?a. H?In order to accelerate the k395m programme to convert the 173?km Zaragoza - Teruel route for high speed operation, the ministry has agreed with the Arag?n regional government, ADIF and Renfe that all train services will be suspended from July 9 until October 11. At the end of March the ADIF board agreed to call tenders for the last remaining civils and track contract covering the 29?9?km between Caminreal and Ferreruela, where a budget of k22?9m has been set for work including the laying of UIC?60 rail on gauge-convertible sleepers.

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