Misplaced Pages

Tunnel Sants - Sagrera Tunnel of Eixample
Route of the tunnel between Barcelona Sants (A) and the future station of Sagrera (B)
Overview
Owner	Adif
Locale	Barcelona, Catalonia, España
Transit type	Rail transport tunnel
Line number	LAV Madrid-Barcelona-Francia
Number of stations	No intermediate stations
Operation
Began operation	January 8, 2013
Operator(s)	AVE, TGV, and Avant Renfe amnd SNCF
Character	Lateral Signalling Block System
Technical
System length	5,78 km
No. of tracks	2
Electrification	2x25 kV 50 Hz

The High-Speed Tunnel of Barcelona Sants-La Sagrera, also known as the "Tunnel of Eixample" and "Tunnel of Provença" is an urban railway tunnel located in Barcelona and owned by Adif. The tunnel, which connects Barcelona Sants station to the future Barcelona-Sagrera station, is part of the Madrid-Zaragoza-Barcelona-French Border high-speed rail line. It was inaugurated on January 8, 2013, along with the section between Barcelona Sants and Figueres-Vilafant on the Madrid-Barcelona-France high-speed line. Commercial operation by Renfe Operadora trains began on January 9, 2013.

History

The plan to build the tunnel between Barcelona Sants station and Sagrera station began to take shape with the announcement of the Madrid-Barcelona-France high-speed rail project. In March 2003, the first section of the high-speed line between Madrid and Lleida was inaugurated. Three years later, on December 19, 2006, the section between Lleida and Tarragona was opened, with plans to inaugurate the section to Barcelona in 2007. However, that segment did not come into service until February 20, 2008. José Blanco, Spain's Minister of Development at the time, assured that the high-speed line to Figueres, including this railway tunnel, would be inaugurated by the end of 2012.

Adif awarded the contract for the construction of the tunnel on 18 January 2008, with a planned investment of 179.3 million euros and a completion period of 35 months. On 26 March 2010 the tunnel boring machine Barcino, 105 metres long and weighing 2,300 tonnes, began to bore from the starting shaft located at the intersection of Calle Mallorca and Calle Vizcaya. On 15 September and 8 November 2010, part of Calle Mallorca affected by the construction of the tunnel was reopened to traffic. On 14 October 2010 the tunnel boring machine Barcino bored the section running alongside the Glory façade of the Basílica de la Sagrada Familia, and in mid-December of the same year it finished boring the section running under Avinguda Diagonal, which joins the tunnel sections under Mallorca and Provenza streets. By that date, the tunnel boring machine had bored a total of 2.8 km of the 5.1 km planned.

On 19 December 2010, the Perpignan-Figueras high-speed line was inaugurated, and the date of entry into operation of the railway tunnel was delayed until 2013 due to the economic crisis that began in 2008, which led to a cut in public investment in Spain of 6045 million euros. On 26 July 2011, the Barcino tunnel boring machine finished boring the tunnel, reaching the extraction shaft located between Provenza and Entenza streets, after travelling almost 5.1 km from the starting shaft in 16 months. At the beginning of December 2011, the shafts on Carrer de Provença used for the maintenance of the tunnel boring machine began to be covered, and on 21 December 2011 the sections affected by the construction of the tunnel on the same street were reopened to traffic. Adif announced on 9 November 2012 that the section of track between Sants station and Mollet del Vallès, including the railway tunnel between Sants and La Sagrera, would be electrified on 26 November 2012. The forecast officially maintained by the Ministry of Development is that high-speed trains would start running without interruption from Barcelona to Paris and vice versa in April 2013.

Ana Pastor, Minister of Development since the end of 2011, announced on 22 November 2012 that the section between Barcelona Sants and Figueras-Vilafan would enter service in January 2013, once the works on this section, which were scheduled for December 2012, had been completed. At the end of October 2012, Renfe Operadora carried out tests with Class 103 trains between the Mollet del Vallès junction and Vilobí d'Onyar (Girona), and on 4 December 2012 technical validation tests began on the infrastructure and superstructure between Barcelona Sans and Figueras-Vilafan. Ricard Font, director general of transport of the Generalitat de Catalunya, announced on 7 December 2012 that the section between Barcelona-Sants and Figueras-Vilafant, including the Barcelona Sants-La Sagrera high-speed tunnel, would be inaugurated on 8 January 2013, according to a communiqué sent to the Generalitat by Renfe Operadora and Adif. On the same day, a 46-year-old worker died inside the tunnel as a result of a collision between two machines while the tracks were being built. On 17 December 2012, tests of Class 103 commercial trains operated by Renfe Operadora began, the aim was to carry out commercial simulations in order to fine-tune all the aspects involved in providing a good high-speed service on the new section of the Madrid-Barcelona-France LAV, between Barcelona Sants and Figueras-Vilafan. These tests meant the circulation for the first time of a commercial high-speed train through the Barcelona Sants-La Sagrera high-speed tunnel.

The tunnel was inaugurated on 8 January 2013 at 11:01 a.m., together with the section between Barcelona-Sans and Figueras-Vilafan of the Madrid-Barcelona-France high-speed line. The inauguration ceremony was attended by the Prince of Asturias and the presidents of the Spanish Government, Mariano Rajoy, and of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Artur Mas, among other authorities. On 9 January 2013 it began commercial operation by high-speed trains operated by Renfe Operadora. The first northbound train was Avant 34253 with origin in Barcelona Sants and destination Figueres-Vilafant, with 142 people on board, and the first southbound train was AVE 03082 with origin in Figueres-Vilafant and destination Barcelona Sants, with 79 people on board. On 12 February 2013 a train of the French operator Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Français (SNCF) ran through the tunnel for the first time, specifically branch 736 of the TGV Dasye [es] series. This operation was part of the homologation tests for French trains to run on the Spanish General Interest Railway Network (RFIG).. On 15 December 2013, the first TGV with passengers of the French operator SNCF ran between Barcelona-Sants and Paris-Lyon.

Construction phases

The construction phases of the Barcelona Sants-La Sagrera high-speed tunnel were as follows:

• Phase 1: boring of the tunnel by the Barcino tunnel boring machine (A) and placement of the segments by the same tunnel boring machine (B).
• Phase 2: filling of the base of the tunnel with concrete (C), construction and installation of the railway ducts (D). and construction of the lateral passageways for the movement and evacuation of people (E).
• Phase 3: installation of the catenary (F), installation of the tunnel interior lighting systems (G) and laying of the slab tracks (H).

Route

The Barcelona Sants-Sagrera high-speed tunnel runs from Barcelona Sants station to the future Barcelona-Sagrera station along Provença Street, Avinguda Diagonal, and Mallorca Street, covering a length of 5.78 km. It is the only high-speed rail tunnel crossing Barcelona with a track gauge of 1,435 mm (UIC gauge).

Controversy

The railway tunnel sparked significant controversy among part of Barcelona's population due to its route, which affects several of the city's landmarks. A platform called AVE pel litoral [es] was created to demand a modification of the planned route through Provença and Mallorca Streets, where the Expiatory Temple of the Sagrada Familia and La Pedrera are located, proposing a new route along Barcelona's coastline. José Blanco, Minister of Development from 2009 to 2011, described the tunnel's construction as follows:

"This tunnel has the highest safety standards among construction projects being undertaken worldwide. The best technicians in the country have worked on safety measures to ensure the security of buildings and citizens, and I am confident that the public will have noticed this." — José Blanco López, La Vanguardia.

On February 8, 2010, UNESCO technicians Rolf Katzenbach and Wolfram Jägertal met in Barcelona with the temple's board of trustees and some neighborhood associations to assess the impacts of the tunnel's construction near the Sagrada Familia and to hear their objections to the route. The Sagrada Familia Board of Trustees requested five times that the National Court halt the tunnel's construction through Mallorca Street due to safety risks to the Glory Facade and the central nave of the temple. The construction project included a 240-meter-long, 40-meter-deep protective screen made of piles 1.5 meters in diameter to safeguard the monument from ground movements generated during the tunnel's construction.

In October 2010, the tunnel boring machine passed through the section of the tunnel adjacent to the monument without causing any damage. The Parliament of Catalonia approved a motion requesting a moratorium on the tunnel's construction, supported by most of the Barcelona City Council plenary session. The current route was defended only by the PSC and ICV, while CIU and the PPC proposed an alternative route through Vallès Occidental with a station in the municipality of Sant Cugat del Vallès. ERC suggested rerouting the tunnel through Aragón Street instead of Mallorca Street, where the Expiatory Temple of the Sagrada Familia is located.

Characteristics

The main features of the Barcelona Sants-La Sagrera high-speed tunnel and the Barcino tunnel boring machine are:

Operations

Once the tunnel between Barcelona Sants and Figueres-Vilafant was inaugurated, train circulation began, with 18 high-speed passenger trains (9 trains in each direction). Since April 2013, trains operated by the French company Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Français (SNCF) and Renfe Operadora have connected Spain and France without requiring transfers at the Figueres-Vilafant station.

See also

• Transport in Catalonia [es]
• Barcelona Sants railway station
• Madrid–Barcelona high-speed rail line
• Sagrera railway station

Notes

1. La Vanguardia (2010-09-15). La tuneladora del AVE llega a 200 metros de la Sagrada Familia [AVE tunnel boring machine reaches 200 metres from the Sagrada Familia] (Video) (in Spanish) – via YouTube.
2. The opening ceremony was also attended by the Minister of Development, Ana Pastor, the Minister of Territory and Sustainability, Santiago Vila, the Mayor of Barcelona, Xavier Trias, the Mayor of Girona, Carles Puigdemont, and the Mayor of Vilafant, Consol Cantenys.
3. Railway ducts consist of communication, safety, signalling, electrical and fire brigade ducts.

References

1. Comorera, Ramón (2012-03-11). "El túnel del Eixample espera ya las vías del AVE que llevarán a Europa" [The Tunnel of Eixample awaits the AVE tracks that will take you to Europe]. El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish).
2. ^ "Adif - Túnel de la Sagrera" [High-Speed Railway Tunnel Barcelona Sants-Sagrera]. Adif (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2014-11-09.
3. ^ "El AVE alcanza Girona" [The AVE reaches Girona]. El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 2013-01-08.
4. ^ "Inauguración del AVE Barcelona-Girona-Figueres" [Inauguration of Barcelona-Girona-Figueres AVE]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 7 January 2013.
5. ^ Buesa, Cristina (January 9, 2013). "Un millar de viajeros estrenan el AVE de Girona" [A thousand passengers make their debut on the AVE high-speed train in Girona]. El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish).
6. ^ "El AVE que une Barcelona, Girona y Figueres abre sus puertas a los pasajeros" [The AVE high-speed train linking Barcelona, Girona and Figueres opens its doors to passengers]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 2013-01-09.
7. ^ "L'AVE que enllaça Barcelona amb Girona i Figueres s'estrena amb més de 7.500 bitllets venuts" [The AVE high-speed train linking Barcelona with Girona and Figueres opens today with the first passengers]. 3Cat (in Catalan). 2013-01-09.
8. La Vanguardia (2010-03-29). La tuneladora Barcino empieza a perforar el subsuelo de Barcelona para construir el túnel del AVE [The Barcino tunnel-boring machine starts drilling the Barcelona subsoil to build the AVE high-speed train tunnel.] (in Spanish). Barcelona: La Vanguardia. Event occurs at 0:28 – via YouTube.
9. "Lleida y Zaragoza esperan el AVE para marzo" [Lleida and Zaragoza are waiting for the AVE in March.]. El País (in Spanish). 2003-02-17. ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
10. Aymi, Oriol (2006-12-19). "El AVE inicia hoy el recorrido de Lleida a Tarragona a 200 kilómetros por hora" [The AVE starts today from Lleida to Tarragona at 200 kilometres per hour]. El País (in Spanish). ISSN 1134-6582.
11. "Dos años desde la inauguración del AVE Madrid-Barcelona | El Tren AVE" [Two years since the inauguration of the AVE Madrid-Barcelona high speed train]. eDreams (in Spanish). 2011-09-15. Archived from the original on September 15, 2011. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
12. Domènech, Albert (2008-02-20). "Puntualidad total en la primera jornada del AVE Barcelona-Madrid" [Total punctuality on the first day of the AVE Barcelona-Madrid high-speed train]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-01-12.
13. "Blanco asegura que el AVE parará en la Sagrera a finales de 2012" [Blanco assures that the AVE will stop at La Sagrera at the end of 2012]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 2011-02-16. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
14. "Adif adjudica las obras del túnel Sants-Sagrera a Sacyr por 179,3 millones" [Adif awards the Sants-Sagrera tunnel works to Sacyr for 179.3 million euros]. El País (in Spanish). 2008-01-18. ISSN 1134-6582.
15. ^ "Blanco garantiza la máxima seguridad del túnel del AVE que unirá Sants y la Sagrera" [Blanco guarantees maximum safety for the AVE tunnel that will link Sants and La Sagrera.]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 2010-03-26.
16. ^ "Concluye la excavación del túnel de alta velocidad Sants-La Sagrera, en Barcelona" [The excavation of the Sants-La Sagrera high-speed tunnel in Barcelona is finished]. Revista Vía Libre (in Spanish). July 27, 2012.
17. "La obra del AVE libera la calle de Mallorca en la Sagrada Família" [The AVE construction work frees up Mallorca streets at the Sagrada Familia]. El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 2010-09-15.
18. "La calle de Mallorca se libera de las obras del túnel del AVE" [The streets of Mallorca are freed from the works of the AVE tunnel]. El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 2010-11-09.
19. "El refuerzo del pozo del AVE en Provença-Bruc corta la Diagonal" [The reinforcement of the AVE shaft at Provença-Bruc cuts through Diagonal]. El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 2010-11-24.
20. ^ "El topo del AVE deja la Diagonal y llega al pozo de Provença-Bruc" [The AVE leaves Diagonal and arrives at the Provença-Bruc shaft]. El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 2010-12-21.
21. "Inaugurado el AVE Figueras-París" [Inauguration of the Figueras-Paris high-speed train]. La Voz de Barcelona (in Spanish). 2010-12-19.
22. Ruiz Sierra, Juan; Barrena, Xabier (2010-06-09). "La estación de la Sagrera empezará a construirse «en los próximos días»" [The Sagrera station will start to be built 'in the next few days']. El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish).
23. "Blanco pondrá el lunes la primera piedra de la estación de la Sagrera" [Blanco to lay the foundation stone for Sagrera station on Monday]. El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 2010-06-16.
24. ^ "Luz al final del túnel" [Light at the end of the tunnel]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 2011-07-26.
25. "Adif cubre los pozos de la tuneladora Barcino para reabrir Provença antes de fin de año" [Adif fills the shafts of the Barcino tunnel boring machine to reopen Provença before the end of the year]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 2011-12-02.
26. "Barcelona reabre este miércoles los tramos de la calle Provenza afectados por el AVE" [This wednesday Barcelona reopens the sections of Provença Street affected by the AVE works]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 2011-12-21.
27. "Adif electrifica el túnel del Eixample y las vías del AVE de Sants a Mollet" [Adif electrifies the tunnel of Eixample and the AVE high-speed train tracks from Sants to Mollet]. El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 2012-11-09.
28. "Rajoy anuncia que el tramo del AVE Barcelona-Perpiñán será operativa en abril de 2013" [Rajoy announces that the Barcelona-Perpignan section of the AVE will be operational in April 2013]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 2012-10-10.
29. "Pastor anuncia que Girona estará conectada por AVE el próximo enero" [Pastor announces that Girona will be connected by the AVE next January]. La Razón (in Spanish). Archived from the original on November 28, 2012.
30. ^ Buesa, Cristina (2012-12-04). "Fomento ya prueba todo el recorrido del AVE entre Barcelona y Figueres" [Ministry of Development has already tested the entire route of the AVE high-speed train between Barcelona and Figueres]. El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish).
31. "Los trenes laboratorio ya circulan por la línea AVE hasta Francia" [Laboratory train already running on the AVE line to France]. El Economista (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2021-04-17.
32. "Los trenes de prueba circulan por la línea del AVE entre Barcelona y Figueres" [Test trains run on the AVE line between Barcelona and Figueres]. Expansión.com (in Spanish).
33. "El primer AVE comercial llegará a Girona y Figueres el 8 de Enero" [The first commercial AVE will reach Girona and Figueres on January 8th]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 2012-12-07.
34. "El primer tren de alta velocidad llegará a Girona el 8 de enero" [The first high-speed train will arrive in Girona on January 8]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 2012-12-07.
35. "Muere un trabajador en un túnel del AVE en Barcelona" [A worker dies in the AVE tunnel in Barcelona]. El Periódico (Barcelona) (in Spanish). 2012-12-07.
36. ^ "El primer AVE atraviesa la Sagrera para conectar con Figueres" [The first AVE crosses La Sagrera to connect with Figueres]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 2012-12-17. Retrieved 2025-01-13.
37. "Renfe inicia las pruebas con trenes AVE entre Barcelona y Figueres" [Renfe starts tests with AVE trains between Barcelona and Figueres]. Diario ABC (in Spanish).
38. "Renfe inicia las pruebas con trenes AVE en el tramo BarcelonaGironaFigueresVilafant" [Renfe starts tests with AVE trains on the Barcelona-Girona-Figueres-Vilafant sections]. Inversión & Finanzas. 2015-05-01. Archived from the original on May 1, 2015. Retrieved 2025-01-13.
39. "Mas diu que l'arribada de l'AVE a Girona i Figueres és un acte de justícia, no pas un privilegi" [Mas says that the arrival of the AVE high-speed train to Girona and Figueres is an act of justice, not a privilege]. 324.cat (in Catalan). 2013-01-08.
40. Cordero, Dani (2013-01-08). "Mas y Rajoy estrenan el AVE a Figueres que conecta con Francia" [Mas and Rajoy inaugurate the AVE high-speed train to Figueres that connects with Frances]. El País (in Spanish). ISSN 1134-6582.
41. "El Príncipe pide ante Mas 'juntar fuerzas' y Rajoy, 'vías de entendimiento'" [The Prince asks Mas to 'join forces' and Rajoy, 'ways of understanding']. El Mundo (in Spanish).
42. ^ "Llega el primer tren de los Ferrocarriles Franceses a la estación de Barcelona Sants" [The first Fren Railways train arrivas at Barcelona Sants station]. Via Libre (in Spanish).
43. ^ "El primer TGV francés llega a Barcelona y el AVE realiza pruebas en Francia" [The first French TGV arrives in Barcelona and the AVE is testing in France]. Diario ABC (in Spanish). 2013-02-12.
44. ^ Buesa, Cristina (2013-02-12). "El primer TGV en pruebas llega a Sants" [The first TGV in test runs arrives at Sants]. El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish).
45. "El AVE ya es una realidad entre Barcelona y París" [The AVE is now a reality between Barcelona and Paris]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 2013-12-15.
46. "El tramo del AVE por el centro de la ciudad" [The AVE section through the city centre] (PDF). El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). March 11, 2012.
47. "Túnel Sants-La Sagrera: Misión cumplida" [Sants-La Sagrera Tunnel: Mission Accomplished] (PDF). Revista de la ingeniería y consultoría del transporte (in Spanish). 43. Adif: 10.
48. López, Helena (2010-02-09). "La Unesco escucha los miedos de la Sagrada Família al túnel del AVE" [UNESCO listens to the fears of the Sagrada Familia about the AVE high-speed train tunnel]. El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish).
49. "La Sagrada Família solicita por quinta vez parar el AVE" [Sagrada Familia requests for a fifth time to stop the AVE high-speed train]. El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 2010-06-09.
50. "La Audiencia Nacional avala las obras del túnel Sants-La Sagrera" [The National Court upholds the Sants-La Sagrera tunnel works]. Revista Vía Libre (in Spanish).
51. "La Unesco cree que la Sagrada Familia no corre peligro por el AVE" [UNESCO believes that the Sagrada Família is not in danger from the AVE high-speed train line]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish). June 29, 2009.
52. Gimeno, Albert (October 22, 2010). "Oda a 'Barcino'" [Ode to 'Barcino']. La Vanguardia (in Spanish).
53. "El túnel per Barcelona: una història de demores, polèmiques i pors - 08 gen 2013" [The Tunnel Through Barcelona: A Story of Delays, Controversies, and Fears]. El Punt Avui (in Catalan). January 8, 2013.
54. ^ "Línea de Alta Velocidad Madrid-Barcelona-frontera francesa. Tramo Sants-La Sagrera" [Madrid-Barcelona-French Border High-Speed Railway Line. Sants-La Sagrera Section] (PDF). Adif (in Spanish). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-08-04.
55. "12.9 El sistema de alimentación 2x25 kV" [12.9 The 2x25 kV power system]. Nociones básicas ferroviarias [Railway Basics] (in Spanish) (2nd ed.). MARCOMBO. 2008. ISBN 978-84267-1513-5.
56. Muñoz, Óscar (2010-02-01). "Los trabajos del AVE llegan a la Diagonal" [The AVE works reach the Diagonal]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish).
57. ^ Comorera, Ramón (2012-03-11). "El túnel del Eixample espera ya las vías del AVE que llevarán a Europa" [The Tunnel of Eixample awaits the AVE tracks that will take it to Europe]. El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish).
58. Peirón, Francesc (March 19, 2008). "El túnel que viene" [The Tunnel Ahead]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish).
59. ACN. "Surt de l'estació de Sants el primer TAV cap a Girona i Figueres - 08 gen 2013" [The first HST to Girona and Figueres departs from Sants station]. El Punt Avui (in Catalan). Retrieved 2025-01-14.

External links

• Content in this article is translated from the existing Catalan Misplaced Pages article at Túnel de Provença, published by its editors under the GNU Free Documentation License and the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
• Video of the completion of the drilling of the tunnel
• Simulation of the construction of the cut-and-cover tunnel in Sants and dismantling of the Barcino tunnel boring machine.

v t e Rodalies de Catalunya
List of stations Cercanías Renfe Operadora
Rail service	Commuter rail Barcelona   R1   R2   R2 Nord   R2 Sud   R3   R4   R7   R8   R10 (suspended) Camp de Tarragona   RT1   RT2 Girona   RG1 Regional rail   R11   R12   R13   R14   R15   R16   R17
Rolling stock	Civia (463, 464 and 465 Series) 447 Series 448 Series 449 Series 450 Series 451 Series 470 Series
Infrastructure	Railway lines Barcelona–Cerbère Barcelona–El Prat Airport rail link Barcelona–Mataró–Maçanet-Massanes Barcelona–Latour-de-Carol-Enveitg Castellbisbal–Mollet-Sant Fost La Plana-Picamoixons–Sant Vicenç de Calders Lleida–Manresa–Barcelona Madrid–Barcelona Reus–Caspe–Zaragoza Sant Vicenç de Calders–Vilafranca del Penedès–Barcelona Tarragona–Lleida Valencia–Sant Vicenç de Calders Urban tunnels Aragó Tunnel Meridiana Tunnel Tunnel of Provença
Category  Commons

• Rail transport in Barcelona
• Underground commuter rail
• Buildings and structures in Barcelona
• Transport in Barcelona
• Avinguda Diagonal