Madrid to Badajoz

[Richard Scott]

Just travelled from Madrid to Badajoz using some of the new high speed line. The 334s were running at maximum speed so 200km/h which made for some interesting running.
Assume this line is all Iberian gauge? Will it be 25kV and is it planned to electrify all the way from Madrid to Badajoz? To be honest why us all this money being spent for two trains in each direction per day? Are there plans to dramatically improve the service or is some of it aimed at freight too?

 

[Austriantrain]

Just travelled from Madrid to Badajoz using some of the new high speed line. The 334s were running at maximum speed so 200km/h which made for some interesting running.
Assume this line is all Iberian gauge? Will it be 25kV and is it planned to electrify all the way from Madrid to Badajoz? To be honest why us all this money being spent for two trains in each direction per day? Are there plans to dramatically improve the service or is some of it aimed at freight too?

It is the first part of a planned HSL all the way from Madrid and was originally meant to be part of a line all the way to Lisbon. On the eastern end, it will be prolonged to Madrid, most likely reaching the High-speed network in Toledo. It will certainly be electrified and at least partly doubled (partly single track HSL are nothing new in Spain).

As to whether it is worth the money - you could ask that about large parts of the Spanish HS network…

 

[Doctor Fegg]

You could ask that about large parts of the Spanish motorway network too!

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

There are upgrades on the Portuguese side too, but no confirmed programme to complete an HSL to Lisbon.
The main aim is a freight route to a port at Sines, south of Setubal.
I think Spanish politics forced a new line in Extremadura as part of a "levelling up" agenda.
We haven't reached the same state here where every region demands its HSL to keep up with those that already have one.
Spain has also been a big recipient of regional funds from the EU, as have places like Ireland and Poland with their new motorways.

A new HSL extension to Burgos (single track) has also opened recently.
The Basque "Y" HSL is also under construction further north.
Articles about both new lines are in Railway Gazette:

Extremadura high speed line inaugurated

SPAIN: Passenger services began using an upgraded 193 km mixed-traffic route between Plasencia and Badajoz in Extremadura on July 19, following the inauguration of three sections of new alignment totalling 146 km by King Felipe VI the previous day.

www.railwaygazette.com

High speed line to Burgos opens

SPAIN: Passenger services on a 75 km high speed line between Burgos and a junction with the Madrid - Valladolid - León line at Venta de Baños began on July 22, the day after a formal inauguration by King Felipe VI. It is planned that this will eventually form part ...

www.railwaygazette.com

SPAIN: Passenger services began using an upgraded 193 km mixed-traffic route between Plasencia and Badajoz in Extremadura on July 19, following the inauguration of three sections of new alignment totalling 146 km by King Felipe VI the previous day.
In the longer term, the line is intended to form part of a high speed corridor linking Madrid with Extremadura and potentially Lisboa in Portugal.

SPAIN: Passenger services on a 75 km high speed line between Burgos and a junction with the Madrid – Valladolid – León line at Venta de Baños began on July 22, the day after a formal inauguration by King Felipe VI. It is planned that this will eventually form part of a high speed corridor to the French border.

 

[Dren Ahmeti]

Single-track HSL?? That’s a crazy concept.

 

[Austriantrain]

Single-track HSL?? That’s a crazy concept.

Many Spanish HSL have little traffic and a single track (with double-track islands) is enough. All HSL are built to accommodate two tracks though, so the second one can be added rapidly when necessary.

 

[dutchflyer]

This is/was an economy measure-as above, all were planned as double track.
take f.e. the new line into Granada, a branch off the Cordoba-Malaga line: has an AVE/Avant train about ev 2 hrs. For a time of less as 30 mins that would do. And this newest line to Badajoz is also still broad gauge-so as to prevent switching gauges too many times in 1 trip for just a short distance. The sleepers have been prepared for easy change if needed or the time is deemed right.
All in all I also recall it was once a kind of giving all the regions there own connection-even those that would never bring a return.
That Basque-Y is a kind of prestige project of the local govmt-but progress on it seems also to be very slow.
Strange all in all that Catalunya-once very fierce, near to Scotland, in its wish to get independent has not embraced the idea of having its own hi-speed-in stead they always try to break away off RENFE -and it has to be said that it has relatively the best/frequent service of the regions-in the land of the blind oneeye is king!

 

[stuu]

The Spanish network is designed so that all provincial capitals are 4 hours or less to Madrid, and 6.5 hours or less to Barcelona. This was planned when the economy was booming and there was plentiful EU funding available, so business cases were far less important than national unity/political imperatives. In some cases like the line to Badajoz the money ran out and progress stalled for years, similarly with the line to Murcia/Almeria. Economy measures like single tracks have been used in other locations, the services are often hourly at best so it doesn't have any impact.

They have managed to build the second longest network in the world for less than the cost of HS2 which is pretty impressive, and will serve them well for the next century

 

[Austriantrain]

One might also add that with few exceptions, the Spanish classic rail network is very slow and therefore since the building of motorways was very uncompetitive (so very different to France and the UK, where on a classic network, 200 kph was/is quite common).