Adif’s Madrid-Extremadura HSR: Signalling, Track & Rail Progress

Introduction

Adif has awarded a EUR 157.5 million contract for communications and signalling, along with a facility for track assembly, for the Talayuela-Plasencia rail section of the Madrid–Extremadura high-speed railway. The contracts also include EUR 118.3 million for advanced signalling equipment and EUR 8.2 million for GSM-R telecommunications.

Signalling and Communications Contracts

A EUR 118.3 million contract was awarded for the deployment of railway signalling equipment and systems, including remote and real-time management. This encompasses interlockings, train protection systems, fixed telecommunications, and Centralised Traffic Control (CTC) systems.

Another contract, valued at EUR 8.2 million, covers the installation of GSM-R railway mobile telecommunications equipment.

Track Assembly Facility

A EUR 31 million contract was awarded for constructing a track assembly facility in Navalmoral de la Mata. Covering 140,000 m², the facility will include storage areas for track components, a warehouse, offices, and a workshop for rolling stock maintenance.

The facility will also feature internal service roads, connections to the conventional railway network, and road access via the EX118. Once the high-speed line (HSL) section is operational, the site will become a maintenance base.

High-Speed Line Progress

The Talayuela-Plasencia rail section is the second section of the Madrid–Extremadura high-speed railway. Adif is accelerating progress on the third section to create the high-speed corridor.

These contracts follow recent awards for electrification, the construction of the Casatejada substation, and catenary installation. The next tendering process will focus on track assembly.

Adif is advancing the Madrid–Extremadura high-speed line with simultaneous works. The Plasencia–Cáceres–Badajoz section, operational since 2022 and electrified since 2023, is finalizing tests for ERTMS Level 2.

Additional Projects

The Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility is defining the route for the Oropesa–Madrid section, the third section of the HSL.

Adif is improving conventional railway links in Extremadura, including the Madrid–Valencia de Alcántara line, with design work for electrification underway, and the Mérida–Puertollano and Mérida–Los Rosales lines, both undergoing renewal.

Conclusion

Adif is actively developing the Madrid–Extremadura high-speed railway through multiple contracts for signalling, communications, and infrastructure, as well as improvements to conventional rail lines.

Adif

Adif is the administrator of railway infrastructure in Spain.

ERTMS Level 2

European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) Level 2 is an advanced signalling system.

CTC

Centralised Traffic Control (CTC) is a system enabling remote and real-time management of railway elements.

GSM-R

GSM-R is railway mobile telecommunications equipment.