Green light for new rail crossing
Viaduct will have a span of 340 metres
Valencia is building bridges to modernise the railway through the Marina Alta and has put a €12 million contract to construct a key viaduct in Benissa out to tender.
VALENCIA is building bridges to modernise the railway through the Marina Alta and has put a €12 million contract to construct a key viaduct out to tender.
The new crossing will replace the bridge currently in use at Benissa – built between 1913 and 1915.
The century old structure is safe for current rolling stock but was not considered strong enough to carry the new dual electric-diesel trains coming into service.
Train operator FGV – Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat Valenciana – runs the Alicante TRAM network and 'line 9' runs from Benidorm to the Denia terminal.
Ongoing engineering work means trains currently terminate at Teulada with a bus service in operation between the station and the end of the line.
The viaduct across the Barranco del Quisi has been branded ‘essential’.
The new crossing will be built close to the veteran bridge and will have a span of 340 metres.
FGV has set the execution period for the work at 12 months.
Popular with commuters and tourists alike, the line closed in the summer of 2015 and was scheduled to be running again in 2019 but has been hit by a number of delays. It is now thought the service may not be fully operational until 2023.
The ongoing investment by FGV involves the complete renewal of the track – new rails and sleepers are being laid between Teulada and Gata de Gorgos and working south from Denia to Gata.
Crossings and cuttings, and improvements to safety, communication and energy savings are all part of modernisation plans.
The operator believes it will vastly improve the quality of service and bring 'line 9' up to the standards of the rest of the TRAM network.