Minister for development Magdalena Álvarez inaugurated on 9th July, 2008 the new cross-city railway connection between the Atocha and Chamartin stations in Madrid. The inauguration, which began with a journey in train departing from Parla, south of Madrid, and arriving in Nuevos Ministerios station, gathered the president of the Madrid regional government, Esperanza Aguirre, and the mayors of Madrid, Parla and Aranjuez. Further to the inaugural trip, the infrastructure entered in service the following day 10th July.
Currently terminating at Atocha, Renfe-operated suburban routes from Aranjuez (C-3) and Parla (C-4) run through the new tunnel. As well as relieving the existing cross-city rail and metro lines, the new route is expected to reduce congestion at Atocha. At present, 45% of the 500,000 suburban passengers using this station each day are changing between routes, while 25% transfer to Line 1 of the metro to reach the city centre. The Atocha-Chamartin tunnel enables 250,000 commuters to gain each day six to 20 minutes on their journey time: 150,000 commuters on lines C-3 and C-4 who will stop shifting trains at Atocha to get to the city centre and north Madrid, and 100,000 commuters on Line C-5 (from Móstoles to Fuenlabrada) who will shift trains more rapidly as the frequency of the service increases. Parla and Aranjuez are now connected directly to Atocha, Nuevos Ministerios, Chamartin and the northern municipalities of Colmenar Viejo, San Sebastian de los Reyes, Alcobendas and Tres Cantos. The tunnel will save time, avoid saturation of Atocha and relieve Line 1 of the metro. The Puerta del Sol station in the heart of Madrid is expected to open in mid 2009 once the interchange with three metro lines is completed. View a video at http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=VRIK2GzNnPc
The new 8.5 km cross-city tunnel has been built west of the existing tunnel (dubbed “tunnel of the laughter” because its construction began in 1933 but was completed 34 years later). Construction of this second tunnel lasted more than five years, with a budget that soared to EUR550 million, of which EUR140 million for the Puerta del Sol station. The initial price tag was EUR259 million but the building costs of the tunnel and Sol station have risen by 112% since 2003. The infrastructure and track investment budgeted five years ago has been divided into three main contracts: EUR95 million for the tunnel from Atocha to Nuevos Ministerios, EUR83 million for the tunnel from Nuevos Ministerios to Chamartin and EUR80 million for the Sol station. Click here, here, here and es/68. Visit www.rafcercamadrid.com
Sol station
The project is not fully completed, since services to the Puerta de Sol interchange station will not be available until 2009. Crews are now installing the cladding and installations to make the station useable. The station fit-out with its escalators and access halls to metro lines 1, 2 and 3 will be concluded next year.
Construction of the Sol station has been delayed by lengthy proceedings and then by the discovery of archaeological remains pertaining to the foundations of the ancient Buen Suceso church, which obliged to stop the works for a certain period of time until resumption. The location of the station in the heart of Madrid also caused difficulties at the origin of the delays. The dense urban environment required to relocate more than 200 utility lines and services of nearly 30 businesses and entities.
The Puerta del Sol-Gran Via station has a vaulted profile and is column-free. This structural design will improve passenger flow, visibility and security. The 240 m-long, 20 m-wide and 15 m-high cavernous space houses two levels: the lower part for platforms and tracks and the upper part, or mezzanine, for the mobility of passengers along the full span to access to the platforms and the two concourses of Sol and Gran Via. It is the widest underground cavern of its kind in the world, featuring a surface of 3,000 square metres, which could hold inside a 60-storey building in horizontal position.
The new underground station cavern has been excavated by a staged method of excavation whereby the cavern is excavated and concreted in a series of sections, by means of traditional mining methods. The arched span of the roof in the upper section has been excavated and concreted first followed by the lower sections. The segmental lining of the tunnel that passed through the station was demolished as crews dug from top to bottom. The concourses have been excavated from the surface in an open cut excavation, with intermediate floors. Then the area has been covered over to proceed with the digging. View pictures here.
Madrid's third rail tunnel between Atocha and Charmartin is also moving forward, with ADIF having invited tenders for a 7.3 km standard-gauge route for high speed services, of which 6.9 km will be in tunnel. Work is expected to take 32 months to complete within a budget of EUR285.6 million, of which 80% is being provided by the EU Cohesion Fund. Click es/150. 30/08.
