Work on the southern railway variant of Bizkaia will begin before the end of the year
The Minister for Sustainable Mobility of the Basque Government, Susana García Chueca, has explained that at the end of the works the freight trains will not have to cross the "heart" of Santurtzi, Portugalete, Sestao and Barakaldo, from where "only the commuter trains, which are Iberian wide, will travel".
The works of the railway variant in the south of Bizkaia, which runs through the municipality of Ortuella, will begin before the end of this year, as announced by the Basque Government's Sustainable Mobility Adviser, Susana García Chueca, in response to a question at the control session in the Parliament of Vitoria.
The Chief Executive recalled that this is a "complex" job and that it aims to get freight trains out of the Left Bank.
The initiative, which will be carried out through Euskal Trenbide Sarea at the request of the Spanish Government, includes both the project of the first phase and the development of the works of theseven sections between the Serantes tunnel and Olabeaga , as well as the second phase leading to Arrigorriaga.
The Councillor has explained that this means that freight trains will not haveto cross the "heart" of Santurtzi, Portugalete, Sestao and Barakaldo. Con this point, "only commuter trains, which have Iberian width, will circulate."
"This will mean a qualitative leap in the quality of life of these municipalities, which will have greater security, while the new infrastructure will give us an economic competitiveness bonus for connecting the port to the high-speed network," he added.
New access to the port of Bilbao
The first phase of the South Railway Variant will connect the Serantes tunnel with the railway network in the Olabeaga district of Bilbao, which will allow a new access to the port of Bilbao for mixed traffic to prevent the passage of goods through the urban areas of the Left Bank.
This first intervention, the longest in the first phase (3.2 kilometres), is EUR 100.6 million.
The first part of the works is limited to the municipal limits of Ortuella, which was awarded last spring and has a period of 38 months to carry out the works, which will begin before the end of the year.
The section of Ortuella will begin with a false tunnel of 385 meters, giving continuity to the already built Serantes tunnel, from which point a double track tunnel of 736 meters of mixed width will be built, which will pass into a cave where the double track will be divided into two one-way branches.
The project which is the subject of this tender shall henceforth provide for the construction of a one-way tunnel of 1,440 metres long, which shall be completed in the cavern connecting with the high performance trunk of the variant.
This last segment of the first part of the work is 620 meters long and is fully developed in the mine tunnel.
Euskal Trenbide Sarea has already awarded the support service for the management of the works of the first part of the work, with a budget of 2.6 million euros.
A cost of EUR 485 million in the first phase.
The projects and construction of this infrastructure are covered by the Cooperation Agreement between the Spanish Government and the Basque Government and Adif in 2017.
The work is divided into two phases: on the one hand, the Basque Government is asked to draft the constructive projects of the first phase and to carry out the works of the platform, and on the other hand, the Basque Government is entrusted with the drafting of the informative study of the second phase.
The same agreement states that the cost of the works, amounting to EUR 484.7 million, will only be advanced in the first phase by the Basque Government and compensated by a reduction in the quota.
The new connection will connect the port of Bilbao directly with Europe through the Trans-European Network, which forms the Atlantic Corridor, by creating a standard (international) connection that avoids "trans-shipment" on the border with France.
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