Adif will invest EUR 95.6 million in the renewal of signalling systems along a further stretch of the conventional Madrid–Alcázar de San Juan–Cádiz railway line. This upgrade will cover the 130 km section between Espeluy and the city of Córdoba, passing through the province of Jaén.
The project involves the deployment of advanced railway signalling technology, including next-generation interlockings, new fixed and light signals, and upgraded telecommunications infrastructure. All systems will be integrated into the Centralised Traffic Control (CTC) platform, enabling real-time, remote traffic management.
This section lies between two others already in the procurement phase, bringing the total length of signalling upgrades to nearly 300 km. These include:
- 94 km between Peñalajo (Ciudad Real) and Espeluy (Jaén), and
- 75 km between Córdoba and Lora del Río (Seville).
Together, these projects will modernise signalling across the entire corridor, significantly improving the reliability, safety, and capacity of a line that forms part of both the Atlantic and Mediterranean TEN-T corridors. The route supports a variety of passenger services—from commuter to conventional long-distance—as well as future freight traffic under the planned Rail Motorway (Autopista Ferroviaria – AF) linking Algeciras, Madrid, and Zaragoza.
In parallel, Adif has awarded contracts to adapt several structures along the same line between Santa Cruz de Mudela (Ciudad Real) and Córdoba for AF operations. This includes the modification of eleven tunnels in Jaén province, the upgrade of eight overpasses, and the extension of passing loops at Pedro Abad station in Córdoba to accommodate 750-metre freight trains.
Additionally, signalling renewal is also being tendered for the Córdoba–Bobadilla–Algeciras line, another crucial segment of the future Rail Motorway. This also covers the Córdoba–Valchillón–Torres Cabrera–Fuentes de Piedra section, which will improve connectivity towards Málaga.
These initiatives are part of Adif’s broader strategy to modernise conventional rail across Andalusia. In Córdoba, work is progressing on plans to fully refurbish 106.4 km of track between Villa del Río and Palma del Río. The recovery of Montoro and Almodóvar del Río stations for commuter services is also underway, alongside construction of a new pedestrian footbridge at Villarrubia station.
In Jaén, Adif is carrying out electrification upgrades across multiple sections, improving accessibility and modernising Linares-Baeza station with the addition of lifts. Jaén’s main railway station and its surrounding access infrastructure are also being refurbished, while the level crossing at Mengíbar is now subject to a removal tender.
Algeciras–Zaragoza rail motorway
The launch of the Algeciras–Madrid–Zaragoza rail motorway forms a central pillar of Adif’s freight strategy. With a budget of EUR 500 million, the project includes extensive structural adaptations to accommodate semi-trailer transport and aims to shift more freight from road to rail, particularly along the Mediterranean and Atlantic corridors. It will also bolster intermodal links between Europe and North Africa via Morocco.
The upgrade of the Algeciras–Zaragoza route—spanning from the Port of Algeciras Bay to Zaragoza Plaza terminal—covers 182 structures in total: 43 tunnels, 131 overpasses, and 8 steel bridges. As of May 2025, work was already underway to increase the clearance of 26 tunnels and 40 overpasses between Madrid and Zaragoza. The remainder of the clearance works, between Algeciras and Madrid, are currently in the procurement phase.
To further improve route efficiency and competitiveness, track extensions to accommodate 750-metre trains are planned at 17 stations along the corridor. In addition, slope stabilisation works at Almargen have recently been awarded, reinforcing the resilience of the infrastructure.
The implementation of the rail motorway between Madrid and Zaragoza is supported by the European funding through the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan. Funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.
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