The Madrid–Galicia high-speed rail line is a

high-speed rail High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail system that runs significantly faster than traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated tracks. While there is no single standard that applies worldwide, lines ...

way line in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

that links the city of

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

with the region of Galicia via the cities of Olmedo, Zamora,

Ourense Ourense (; es, Orense ) is a city and capital of the province of Ourense, located in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, northwestern Spain. It is on the Camino Sanabrés path of the Way of St ...

and

Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, as the destination of the Way of St ...

. The line also connects the

Atlantic Axis high-speed rail line The Atlantic Axis high-speed rail line, also called Atlantic Corridor high-speed rail line, is a high-speed railway line that links A Coruña, Santiago de Compostela, Pontevedra and Vigo in Spain. The Atlantic Axis was inaugurated in April 2015. ...

to the rest of the Spanish

AVE ''Alta Velocidad Española'' (''AVE'') is a service of high-speed rail in Spain operated by Renfe, the Spanish national railway company, at speeds of up to . As of December 2021, the Spanish high-speed rail network, on part of which the AVE s ...

high-speed network. The Madrid–Galicia high-speed rail line is constructed as double electrified line and is designed for trains running at speeds up to .

History

The line shares the same railway for the section between Madrid and Olmedo with the

Madrid–León high-speed rail line The Madrid–León high-speed rail line (Spanish language: ''Línea de Alta Velocidad Madrid - León'') was inaugurated on 29 September 2015. The line is built to standard gauge and gauge changers are provided at strategic points to allow inte ...

. This part was inaugurated on 23 December 2007 along with the entire section Madrid–

Segovia Segovia ( , , ) is a city in the autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the Province of Segovia. Segovia is in the Inner Plateau (''Meseta central''), near the northern slopes of th ...

–

Valladolid Valladolid () is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and de facto capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the province o ...

. Construction on the section between

and Santiago de Compostela started in 2004 and the 87.1 km part was completed and connected with the

in Santiago de Compostela on 10 December 2011. This part of the line has a track gauge of , which is due to be converted to later.. Since November 2015, trains in

Alvia Alvia is a high-speed train service in Spain used by Renfe Operadora for long-distance service with a top speed of . The trains have the ability to use both Iberian gauge and standard gauge, which allows them to travel on the recently constructed ...

commercial service used this part on routes between Galicia and other Spanish regions. In July 2015 it was announced that the traction power supply for the Olmedo- Pedralba de la Pradería (near

Puebla de Sanabria Puebla de Sanabria (; ) is a small town located in the north-western part of the province of Zamora in Spain, between the rivers Tera and Castro. It is the economic and political centre of the ''comarca'' of Sanabria. History Well known as ...

) section would be switched-on on 7 August 2015. The 99 km southern section, between Olmedo (130 km north of Madrid on the Madrid–Leon line) and Zamora entered revenue service on 17 December 2015 and initially served by

trains. In January 2017 it was announced that the boring of the Bolaños tunnels along the Verín - Ourense section of the line was completed. The central part, which crosses some of Spain's most remote and fragile natural areas, was initially expected to open in 2018, but has again been delayed to end 2021. The 110 km new built section between Zamora and Otero de Sanabria (near Puebla de Sanabria) was completed at a cost of 898 million euros and put in service on 26 October 2020. It is capable for speeds up to 300 km/h. The high-speed rail station opened on 22 July 2021. The 119.4 km last remaining part between Puebla de Sanabria and Ourense was completed on 21 December 2021 and the whole line was commercially inaugurated in

service on 21 December 2021, after 20 years of work.

Operations

There are 10 services each day in both directions. AVE trains run between

and

with a maximum operating speed of 300 km/h to cover the distance in 2h 15min, whilst certification is ongoing for variable gauge

Talgo AVRIL Talgo Avril is a high-speed train that Talgo is developing. It stands for "Alta Velocidad Rueda Independiente Ligero" (roughly translated as "Light High-Speed Independent Wheel"). Design The train is intended to have a top speed of . It will have ...

trains to achieve 330 km/h in service. In addition

services in the line on class 130 and

730 __NOTOC__ Year 730 ( DCCXXX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 730 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era ...

gauge-changing trains with a commercial speed of 250km/h, connect Madrid to

Pontevedra Pontevedra (, ) is a Spanish city in the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula. It is the capital of both the ''Comarca'' (County) and Province of Pontevedra, and of the Rías Baixas in Galicia. It is also the capital of its own municipality whi ...

Vigo Vigo ( , , , ) is a city and Municipalities in Spain, municipality in the province of Pontevedra, within the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, Spain. Located in the northwest of the Iberian Penins ...

Lugo Lugo (, ; la, Lucus Augusti) is a city in northwestern Spain in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia. It is the capital of the Lugo (province), province of Lugo. The municipality had a population ...

A Coruña A Coruña (; es, La Coruña ; historical English: Corunna or The Groyne) is a city and municipality of Galicia, Spain. A Coruña is the most populated city in Galicia and the second most populated municipality in the autonomous community and s ...

and Ferrol.

Incidents

In July 2013, an S730 train derailed in a non-LAV (conventional line) stretch near the Santiago de Compostela station.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Madrid-Galicia high-speed rail line High-speed railway lines in Spain Railway lines opened in 2011