Spain’s Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (Mitma) has awarded Comsa-FCC-Ferrovial joint venture a EUR 540.4 million contract for the Montcada i Reixac rail tunnel, part of Adif’s project to move underground Barcelona’s R2 commuter line.
Under the project, the joint venture will build the 4 km long tunnel through which the tracks of line R2 commuter line will pass and will build a third tracks to expand the capacity and resilience of the system and an underground station. Along with the construction of the new underground station, whose accesses will be integrated into the new urbanisation of the underground section, the project will configure future exploitation schemes of the local railway network in the area around Barcelona and its metropolitan area. The station will have three tracks and two side platforms. The central track, without a platform, will be used by regional trains that will not make stops, thus reducing their travel times.
The new station building will have two entrances, one from Guadiana Street and the other from the promenade that will be created to cover the railway tracks. The lobby will have two skylights that will allow light to enter the interior of the building.
Under the railway integration and urban transformation project of Montcada i Reixac rail tunnel, the layout of the underground section will begin at the height of the Can Sant Joan neighborhood and the descent area will continue with the execution of a structure of concrete screens.Once the tunnel is located under the aquifer, its development will be carried out using conventional tunnel excavation systems to a depth of 35 metres, avoiding the barrier effect in the underground circulation of water.
The new underground station will be located in the vicinity of the current station and from here, the underground will continue to advance in a north direction, crossing under the bed of the Ripoll River and the C-33 motorway. The new layout has been calculated with parameters suitable for traffic of up to 140 km/h and a maximum gradient of 3%. Mitma says that in this way, the future station will respond to the criteria of a sustainable, accessible and functional station.
The contract to build the Montcada i Reixac rail tunnel was tendered at an estimated value of EUR 321 million and bids were submitted by four joint ventures: Comsa-FCC-Ferrovial; Dragados-Tecsa-ACSA-San José; OHLA-Sacyr-Acciona-Rubau; and Vías y Construcciones-Copisa-Azvi and Engineering and Services. Comsa-FCC-Ferrovial JV was selected due to its highest technical score and the economic score, after the bids of two of the participants resulted in withdrawal.
Montcada i Reixac is situated on the north–south R2 commuter line running from Castelldefels and El Prat airport train station to Maçanet-Massages, passing through Granollers Center.
In addition to the integration of the railway in Barcelona municipality, which represents the natural exit from the city of Barcelona to the north, Mitma has awarded, through Adif, a EUR 30.2 million remodeling work contract of the Montcada Bifurcació station, in Barcelona. The works on this infrastructure, strategic for local transport in the metropolitan area of Barcelona, will be carried out by the Temporary Union of Companies (Unión Temporal de Empresas – UTE) made up of Dragados and Tecsa Empresa Constructora.
The project will increase safety conditions for residents and railway operations by eliminating two level crossings with a high density of vehicle and pedestrian traffic and in a network with a large number of trains on the R2 and R11 suburban rail lines.
The project to build Montcada i Reixac rail tunnel is one of the most ambitious projects of the programme to transform rail suburban system (Plan Transformem Rodalies), that will promote, along with others the development and the resilience of the railway infrastructure of the Barcelona-Portbou line, by eliminating the surface route.
The objective of remodeling Montcada Bifurcació station on Barcelona Cercanías is to increase the capacity of the infrastructure of the suburban rail lines (R3, R4, R7 and R12) that pass through the station, as well as the reliability of the routes to the Barcelona tunnels. The project also provides the facilities with full accessibility, eliminating architectural barriers, with a new pedestrian underpass and the comprehensive remodeling of the platforms. The works at the station include the construction of three platforms with a length of 200 metres, installation of elevators and escalators. The project will also improve transport capacity of the capacity for the commuter and regional trains, in anticipation of implementing new operating schemes in the future, such as moving some medium-distance services that are located at the Barcelona-França station.
Construction works cover the reconfiguration of 5.5 km of tracks into five tracks, the configuration of two 800-metre tracks, while other six tracks totalling 2.5 km will be reconfigured. Other actions will be taken on 1.6 km tracks located in the eastern area of the station, which serve the rolling stock workshop and maintenance facilities.
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