THE SPANISH cabinet has given its approval for tenders to be called for the construction of 5·64 km of high speed line running in tunnel between Sants and Sagrera in Barcelona (RG 7.07 p405). A budget of €246·2m has been set for the work, which is expected to take 32 months to complete.
Between Barcelona and the French border, tenders have been called for civil works on three route sections between Riudellots de la Selva and Sant Julià de Ramis, including tunnels under the centre of Girona. The total budget set for 16·62 km of new infrastructure is €613·5m. Within a budget of €51·4m, tenders have been called for the 6·12 km Montcada i Reixac – Mollet del Vallès section, while Construcciones Sánchez Domínguez Sando SA has been awarded a €27·3m contract to build the 7·2 km from Pontós to Borrassà.
On the Madrid – Valladolid route, tenders have been called to build a second 1?435 mm gauge track on the 5·44 km between the River Duero and El Pinar de Antequera. Tendering is now underway for the branch from Olmedo to Zamora that will eventually form part of the high speed line between Madrid and Galicia, with bids invited to build three route sections on the 67·1 km between Villaverde de Medina and Zamora within a total budget of €285·5m.
Meeting on June 29, the ADIF board agreed to award the first civil works contract for the high speed line between Madrid, Badajoz and the Portuguese border to a joint venture of GEA 21 and AGG Occidental. They are to build the 20·2 km Montijo – Badajoz section for €41·1m, while tenders have been called for the 16 km Mérida – Montijo section within a budget of €86·4m.
On the Bilbao branch of the Y-shaped network also serving Vitoria and San Sebastián, tenders have been called for civil works on the 3·53 km Galdakao – Basauri section within a budget of €67·6m, and for the 4·6 km Durango – Amorebieta/Etxano section where a budget of €91·1m has been set. On the Vitoria branch, the 2·54 km Arrazua/Ubarrundia – Legutiano section is out to tender within a budget of €26·8m.
