Overview
- Transport ministry publishes two feasibility studies worth €2.3 million in the EU’s official journal to analyze raising the corridor’s top speed and reconfiguring access into Madrid and Barcelona.
- The studies cover a speed increase to 350 km/h using ADIF’s patented aerodynamic sleeper to curb ballast uplift on infrastructure originally designed for that velocity.
- Objectives include cutting Madrid–Barcelona journey times to under two hours, boosting capacity to handle rising demand, and creating bypass options that reduce reliance on central Madrid terminals.
- Scope also examines a new connection to Chamartín from the east and south as an alternative to the Atocha–Chamartín tunnel, a direct Lleida–Barcelona link with access to La Sagrera, and a potential high‑speed stop at El Prat.
- The plan adds a proposed Parla high‑speed station to enable through services and transfers outside central Madrid; timelines and roll‑out remain contingent on study results, phased works, rolling stock readiness and funding.