Of Madrid to Alicante, in two hours and average

With an investment of 1.920 million euros, the past 17 June inaugurated the new connection of high speed between Albacete, Villena and Alicante. The new infrastructure, of 165 kilometres of length, will allow to reduce the current times of trip between Madrid and Alicante in 50 minutes initially, leaving them established in two hours and twenty minutes.

The distance Albacete-Alicante, of 165 kilometres of length, forms part of the Line of High Speed Madrid-Castile-La Mancha-Valencian Community-Region of Murcia, of 955 kilometres of double road in width UIC, electrificada and adapted to the most demanding parameters of the high speed, is endowed of facilities and equipment that will allow a commercial speed until 300 km/h.

Between the technical characteristics stand out the following:

• Stations: Albacete The Flat, Villena High Speed and Terminal Alicante.
• PAET: Chinchilla, Bonete and Monforte of the Cid.
• Centre of Regulation and Control of high speed: Albacete.
• Electrificación: 2X25 KV in c.To.
• Subestaciones Electrical: Bell tower and Sax.
• Systems of protection to the train: ERTMS N2 and ASFA digital.
• Mobile telecommunications: GSM-R.

The new infrastructure, that has supposed a true challenge of rail engineering, has been built with the most demanding parameters regarding quality and hygiene. His outline, that is cream in the station of Albacete and finalises in the one of Alicante, includes singular elements of infrastructure, between which stand out three tunnels and four viaducts, as well as two rail knots.

Tunnels:

- Tunnel of The Barrancadas

- Tunnel of the Saw of the Eagles

- Tunnel of the Channel of Access to the station of Alicante.

Viaducts:

- Viaduct on the Acequia of Rey and the CV-813

- Viaduct of the Cordel of Sax

- Viaduct on the river Vinalopó

- Viaduct on the ravine of Salinetas and the road férrea The Encina-Alicante (1.260 metres).

rail Knots:

Knot of The Encina (Phase I): Has a length of 25,5 kilometres. Situated in the municipal terms of Almansa and Caudete (Albacete), Villena (Alicante) and Source the Higuera (Valencia), constitutes the point of bifurcation and confluencia of the lines that connect between himself Madrid/Albacete, Valencia and Alicante/Murcia. Between his singular elements stand out eight viaducts.

Knot of Monforte of the Cid: The rail knot of distribution of the line of high speed from Albacete to the city of Alicante, on the one hand, and to the ones of Elche and Murcia, by another, forms a triangle that makes possible the connection between the three populations.

In the technological plane, this new line facilitates and incorporates the advances in matter of R&D by means of the innovation in infrastructure, signaling, electrificación and material rodante.

Besides, constitutes a field of integration of European standard technology, developed by Spanish engineers. It serve like example the implantation of the system ERTMS level 2 of gestión of the rail circulation, that situates to the line in head in matter of technology in networks of high speed.

The connection Albacete-Alicante will enjoy from the initial moment of the main advantages that incorporates the high rail speed, as they are the hygiene, reliability, regularity and quality of the service, thanks to that has of an infrastructure with the best technologies of the installed in the Spanish rail network.

In this appearance, the LAV Albacete-Alicante is endowed with the most advanced system of signaling and control, the ERTMS level 2, at present in alone service in the LAV Madrid-Barcelona-French Border, what has allowed to the trains laboratory of Adif reach during test them speeds tip until 330 km/h.

This system has like backrest of hygiene the system ASFA, of lateral signaling, installed in all the lines of high speed and Spanish conventional network, and that guarantees the greater hygiene and reliability in the rail exploitation.

In this way, until the equipment shipped surpass the necessary rodaje, homologations and technical proofs, and check his perfect dialogue with the infrastructure, the gestión and exploitation of the LAV will realise with the system ASFA, until the entrance in operation of the ERTMS level 2.

Like this, although the initial speed of circulation was not the maximum that would allow the ERTMS level 2, the entrance in service of the LAV with the system ASFA will make possible his rentabilización immediate and that the citizens enjoy from the first moment of a service of the maximum quality, in so much adjust the systems and assent the infrastructure; something usual in all the LAV along the more than 21 years of history of the high Spanish speed.

The integration with the environingingment forms substantial part of the philosophy that inspires all the performances of the Ministry responsible for public works. Roughly 12% of the investment of the line, goes allocated to measures of protection and conservation of the surroundings. In this way, the works have supposed a clear example of the worry by the nature, since they have been defined and posed to cause the lower possible impact in the surroundings.

In this sense, because of the natural conditionings, the constructive projects have taken into account the existent environingingmental runners and the technicians of construction have been thought exclusively to minimise the possible impacts. They have developed studies of condition of the noise to urban cores, installed systems of recycling of waste of concrete, employed systems of reduction of contaminantes to the atmosphere by means of the installation of ecological motors in the heavy vehicles, recycled and taken advantage of of materials, etc.

With the aim to minimise the impact of the new line of high speed, have adopted other measures of integration, like the construction of 14 kilometres of acoustic screens between Caudete and Alicante with isolation realised by means of plates of concrete and metallic and an investment of 25,4 million euros.

Other significant performances have been the construction of upper steps, fluvial channelling or operations of ajardinamiento and plantation of trees.

To adapt the stations to the needs generated by the new traffics of high speed and guarantee the access to the new services with full guarantees of mobility, confort and hygiene, has built a new station in Villena and has proceeded to the adaptation of the station of Alicante.

Station of Villena of high speed

The station of Villena, with an investment effected in his construction of more than 11,5 million euros, makes compatible so much possible circulations with start and final in Villena like trains in passing to other destinations. The building situates between the points kilométricos 103/400 and 105/000 of the stretch Villena-Sax, 6 km south of Villena and 2,5 km west of the motorway To-31.

Occupies a surface of 4.526 square metres, distributed in two plants. In the low plant situate the dependencies of public use, whereas the upper plant is of use restricted for internal personnel and offices.

Has of some installations with the greater parameters of quality and represents a fundamental milestone that favours the access of the high speed to the citizens of the inner regions and of the altiplano murciano.

The building will be designed following criteria of sustainability, based in the manual ‘Sustainable Station 360º'. The rational use of the resources, the saving of power, the thermal sensors isolation, the complete accessibility and the respect to the environingingment constitute the basic concepts of the project.

Adaptation of the station of Alicante to the high speed

The works frame inside the weave Accesses to Alicante Phase II, delimited in an extreme by the stretch Accesses to Alicante, Phase I and, in the another extreme, by the station of Alicante, along rail terrains in the Alicante capital.

The works are funded by the High Society Speed Alicante Node of Transports (Avant), composed by the Ministry responsible for public works, through Adif and Renfe Operator, Generalitat Valencian and City council of Alicante.

The extension of the station has effected by means of a beach of six roads (4 of international width UIC and the 2 remaining of Iberian width), and three andenes, that situate in the side north. The arrival of the high speed has required of the adjacent space for the construction of the zone of ship, as well as to connect the andenes destined to the services of high speed with the building of travellers of the current station.

Besides, exist destined spaces to parking of taxis, vehicles for hire, coaches and zone of supply of trains, among others.