Overview
- The TBM Mayrit, which completed the Comillas–Madrid Río connection on Tuesday, excavated 1,116 metres and finished the inter‑station tunnel about two weeks ahead of schedule.
- Mayrit is a German‑made machine about 98 metres long and 1,500 tonnes that installs pre‑cast concrete rings of seven dovelas as it digs, a method that greatly increases tunnel construction speed.
- Project teams report the TBM has placed roughly 656 lining rings and that the completed stretch represents about 21% of the planned route since the machine began on March 26.
- Station works are advanced at the two new stops—Comillas (≈67%) and Madrid Río (≈69%)—and the TBM will pause in Madrid Río for technical checks before heading toward the longer Palos de la Frontera run expected later this summer.
- Officials cite favorable black‑clay ground, redesigned rhomboidal dovelas and strong machine performance as reasons for faster advances, a development that improves prospects for the wider Line 11 plan to link Cuatro Vientos with Valdebebas but leaves final dates dependent on future phases and work conditions.