By rosebell
As part of Spain’s high-speed rail (LAV) network,the Rante tunnel’s excavation on the new Tabodela-Seixalbo route has been completed by Adif AV on November 8, 2024. Expanding the Madrid-Galicia high-speed line with a double electrified standard-gauge track, this 3.4-km tunnel has been constructed with the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM) and is a critical section of the 7.9-km bypass around Ourense.
With average daily advance of of 4.5 meters, the excavation was carried out from four points simultaneously across complex geological conditions.On September 2024, following a breakthrough on the South front, the final link was achieved between the North portal and the North intermediate front.
While currently the tunnel is going to be sealed and reinforced with 40,700 cubic meters of concrete, track installation, electrification, as well as the setup of essential systems for railway operations, signalling, telecommunications, and safety, will be the subsequent phases.
In order to enhancing rail connectivity between Galicia and central Spain while increasing capacity and reliability, this EUR 125.5 million project aims to replace the existing access route to Ourense.
Including the Taboadela-Rante tunnel section (5.6 km) and the Rante Tunnel-Seixalbo link section (2.3 km), which includes a newly completed 356-meter viaduct over the N-525 road and the Barbañam River, construction is divided into two segments.
Being considered as part of NextGenerationEU, the Ourense Outer bypass is funded through the European Union’s Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan.
