New rail bridge on track

FGV place 12 month deadline on work

THE €12 million contract to build a vital new crossing on the Benidorm to Denia railway has been put out to tender by the regional government in Valencia.

The new viaduct on line 9 of the Alicante TRAM network is part of ongoing work to modernise a rail link which is popular with commuters and tourists and will be constructed close to the existing bridge over the Barranco del Quisi at Benissa.

The original structure was built between 1913 and 1915 and has undergone necessary repairs to keep it open for diesel trains currently running between Benidorm and Teulada stations – new rolling stock is heavier and needs a bridge capable of carrying the increased load.

Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat Valenciana (FGV), which operates the narrowgauge network, has launched the tender process and put a 12-month deadline on the work.

The new crossing is being built close to its predecessor, at an oblique angle to the old viaduct, and will be around 370m in length.

FGV said the viaduct will allow the passage of new dual-power electric-diesel trains as part of the modernisation of the line.

“Investments executed and planned by the regional government between Benidorm and Denia include renewal of the track, adaptation of viaducts, bridges, and cuttings, improvements in rolling stock, and the improvement of safety, signalling and energy facilities,” a spokesman said.

“The objective of these investments is to be able to maintain the operation, guaranteeing the quality of the service and, in turn, acquiring the standards of quality of the rest of our network in Alicante.”