After almost two decades since the placement of its first segment, the Pajares Railway Bypass, an engineering task in Spain, finally opens its doors. This November 29, an inaugural trip from Madrid to Oviedo marks the beginning of a new era in Asturian high speed. King Felipe VI and the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, will attend its inauguration. The convoy will depart at 1:30 p.m. from the Chamartín-Clara Campoamor Station with the presence also of the president of the Principality, the socialist Adrián Barbón, while his counterpart from Castilla y León, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco, will board the train in León The , the only stop that will be made on the route to Oviedo, where it is scheduled to arrive at 4:48 p.m. The approximate investment figure to build the Pajares Bypass is 4,000,000,000.
How many trains will the Asturias and Madrid line have?
For now, Renfe will maintain the offer of 8,354 weekly seats and four daily services that the line between Asturias and Madrid currently has, figures that will increase in spring. The promotional campaign for the high-speed line between Madrid and Asturias has allowed RENFE to sell 70,000 tickets for the period between November 30 and February 15. Forecasts indicate that the number of travelers arriving by train in Asturias will increase from 230,000 to 600,000 a year.
These are just some of the main figures of what is considered the largest railway engineering work undertaken in Spain, but there is more:
A legislative commitment: since its approval by Congress in 1997, the Pajares Bypass was prioritized as part of the Infrastructure Master Plan, marking the Madrid-Oviedo corridor as a high-speed axis.
Monumental Tunnels: the construction includes two tunnels of 24.6 kilometers each, making them the second longest in Spain and the seventh in Europe. These tunnels reach depths of more than 1,000 meters.
Advanced infrastructure: equipped with three heliports and a treatment plant capable of processing up to 500 liters per second, the variant shows an exceptional level of detail and planning.
Significant reduction in travel time: the journey between Oviedo and Madrid, which used to take around 4 hours and 43 minutes, will be reduced to approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes.
Manpower and technology: five enormous tunnel boring machines weighing 2,000 tons and 330 meters in length were essential in the excavation of this complex project, which involved the efforts of 5,000 professionals.
A political trajectory: throughout its development, the Pajares Bypass has seen nine Ministers of Public Works, four Presidents of the Government and four Presidents of the Principality of Asturias.
Speed and efficiency: the trains will travel the 49.7 kilometers of the variant in just 10 to 15 minutes, a journey that includes 14 viaducts and 11 tunnels.
Geological challenges: The variant crosses 40 different geological formations, including aquifer zones, which added complexity to the work.
Emergency Exits: The tunnels have 58 emergency exits, located at intervals of 400 meters, guaranteeing safety throughout the journey.
Maximum Achievable Speed: Trains will be able to reach speeds of up to 275 kilometers per hour, although this capacity will not be fully used until the introduction of Talgo Avril trains.
Loading Capacity for Goods: Freight trains will be able to transport up to 1,800 tons, taking advantage of the capacity of the variant.
Dual Track Width: The variant has two track widths, the Iberian and the standard, which allows operational flexibility for both passengers and freight.
Historical Milestones: The years 1881 and 1989 marked key social mobilizations in Asturias, advocating for the completion of the León-Gijón line and the execution of the Pajares Bypass.
A key moment: With the presence of the then president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, the opening of the first tunnel was achieved, linking Asturias and León in 2010.
