High speed services from Orihuela & Elche

[Neal Ball]

Hi there,

 

About 2 or 3 years ago construction started on a high speed line from Cartagena (Costa Blanca) to Alicante. 

 

The new line was built on a viaduct over the AP7 motorway, outside Crevillente and can be seen as a dedicated line just outside Orihuela, although this section only has one line of wires set up. (The former has both lines wired).

 

Since when all construction seems to have finished. Certainly when we were at Cartagena at the weekend, there is no sign of any progress. 

 

The perceived wisdom a few years ago was that the high speed lines were also going to go into Murcia, via Balsicas. Again there is no evidence of any progress there either.

 

What has happened? Has the whole project been shelved?

 

Thanks, Neal.

Edited March 8, 2022 by Neal Ball
High speed services won’t be starting from Cartagena

[McGomez]

Hi Neal.

The line to Orihuela is now live (as in 25kv live) and a high speed service starting and finishing at Orihuela is due to commence this year. Not sure when it is scheduled to commence.

 

The section onwards to Murcia is complete to within a couple of km of Murcia Station where a couple of platforms for the high speed services were constructed but there has been a long running problem involving the level crossings situated just before the station throat that caused congestion on one of the arteries into the city and the locals have been campaigning for years for a solution.

The problem was turned into a political issue and all hell broke out with constant protests including small home made bombs that were found on the tracks causing delays and cancellations.

 

The government finally financed a cut and cover scheme to resolve problem and the works are ongoing.

 

As far as I know, there have been zero works on the section towards Cartagena although I did read this week that there are plans afoot to make a link line at the existing junction of the Murcia - Alicante and Murcia - Cartagena lines.

At he moment any train from Alicante to Cartagena has to reverse at Murcia.

 

There are a couple of high speed trains in each direction that now run between Madrid and Cartagena via the Albacete-Hellin-Cieza non-electrified line using variable gauge hybrid units.

 

Hope that helps to explain what's going on.

 

Andy.

 

Edit for spelling.

Edited July 8, 2019 by McGomez

[Neal Ball]

Thanks Andy, sounds interesting / intriguing.

[Neal Ball]

Work was progressing around Murcia this week.

 

There are also reports in the local news that Alicante airport will receive a link from the railway. Presumably the local line will be diverted as the stories state that trains will come from both Alicante and Murcia directions. No idea at this stage if they will be only the local trains or high speed.

 

Alicante airport sees 14 million passengers a year, so the railway could be quite busy.

[Neal Ball]

This maintenance vehicle has been on the tracks outside Crevillent station since before Christmas.

 

Apologies about the poor image, it’s been taken from the motorway!

 

We first saw it on Sunday 8th Dec and it doesn’t appear to have moved in all that time. It also doesn’t look as if there is anyone working around it either. Or at least no-one is visible on the embankment.

 

[Enterprisingwestern]

1 hour ago, Neal Ball said:

 

 

 It also doesn’t look as if there is anyone working around it either. Or at least no-one is visible on the embankment.

 

 

No change there then, it is Spain after all!

 

Mike.

[Neal Ball]

2 hours ago, Enterprisingwestern said:

 

No change there then, it is Spain after all!

 

Mike.

We live in a world of Manana - perhaps they ran out of diesel and had to walk to the nearest garage! Lol

[Neal Ball]

On 31/12/2019 at 08:22, Neal Ball said:

This maintenance vehicle has been on the tracks outside Crevillent station since before Christmas.

 

Apologies about the poor image, it’s been taken from the motorway!

 

We first saw it on Sunday 8th Dec and it doesn’t appear to have moved in all that time. It also doesn’t look as if there is anyone working around it either. Or at least no-one is visible on the embankment.

 

We did another airport run yesterday...... A month after first seeing this vehicle parked on the line.... it’s still there!

[McGomez]

3 hours ago, Neal Ball said:

We did another airport run yesterday...... A month after first seeing this vehicle parked on the line.... it’s still there!

Hi Neal.

I passed by on Friday.

That is actually the new Elche High Speed station although it is closer to Crevillente.

The maintenance vehicle is parked on a short headshunt at the end of one of the platform loops.

 

The wires are live and I´ve seen video of test trains running through to Beniel where the wires stop.

[McGomez]

Trials at Orihuela.

[Neal Ball]

7 hours ago, McGomez said:

Hi Neal.

I passed by on Friday.

That is actually the new Elche High Speed station although it is closer to Crevillente.

The maintenance vehicle is parked on a short headshunt at the end of one of the platform loops.

 

The wires are live and I´ve seen video of test trains running through to Beniel where the wires stop.

 

Thanks very much for both of your posts.

 

That seems strange that the station is Elche High Speed as its so far away from Elche. I guess though its before it sweeps away en-route to Montfort el Cid.

 

I couldn't get the video to play, but found this on line: https://murciatoday.com/ave-high_speed-rail-network-to-reach-orihuela-by-the-spring_1202222-a.html

 

Services to Orihuela will start from April this year and Murcia by 2021.

[Neal Ball]

Seems strange that the wires are still not yet complete. This photo was taken at Orihuela yesterday.

 

Beniel Being Between Orihuela and Murcia.

 

(Photo removed after 2022 server upgrade)

 

It seems that the stretch through Elche and Orihuela is double track, with masts on only one track carrying the OHE. This changes to both tracks as the high speed diverges from the slow trains before it cross the motorway at Crevillente.

 

Edited April 1, 2022 by Neal Ball

[br2975]

On ‎31‎/‎12‎/‎2019 at 07:22, Neal Ball said:

This maintenance vehicle has been on the tracks outside Crevillent station since before Christmas.

 

Apologies about the poor image, it’s been taken from the motorway!

 

We first saw it on Sunday 8th Dec and it doesn’t appear to have moved in all that time. It also doesn’t look as if there is anyone working around it either. Or at least no-one is visible on the embankment.

 

It was still there on January 11th. when I was driving back to Altet Airport.

.

The only other thing I have seen on this line was a Class 58 and some ballast hoppers which stood motionless on this section for weeks a couple of years ago now.

.

Brian R

[Neal Ball]

10 hours ago, br2975 said:

It was still there on January 11th. when I was driving back to Altet Airport.

.

The only other thing I have seen on this line was a Class 58 and some ballast hoppers which stood motionless on this section for weeks a couple of years ago now.

.

Brian R

 

Thanks Brian, 

 

We drove up to Benidorm this week and it was still there; joined also by another maintenance vehicle.

 

I hope one day we might see a revenue earning train on there soon!

[br2975]

I dropped into Cartagena station, about two weeks ago (August, 2020), on a Saturday afternoon.

.

From the departure board, I would query the justification for a train service of any sort, let alone a new ' High Speed' system.

.

My experience of RENFE and Spanish rail in general is that the only reason the country seeks 'High Speed' rail services, is to make the trains "to fast for vandals to tag".

.

Brian R

[McGomez]

On 17/01/2020 at 08:30, Neal Ball said:

Seems strange that the wires are still not yet complete. This photo was taken at Orihuela yesterday.

 

Beniel Being Between Orihuela and Murcia.

 

 

I can see wires up. They are just not up on both tracks. Do both tracks have to have wires above them or could the high speed line be bi-directional?

Maybe the nearside track is the existing line for the Iberian gauge services between Murcia and Alicante?

[Neal Ball]

18 hours ago, McGomez said:

I can see wires up. They are just not up on both tracks. Do both tracks have to have wires above them or could the high speed line be bi-directional?

Maybe the nearside track is the existing line for the Iberian gauge services between Murcia and Alicante?

 

Thats possible yes.... but both tracks have wires further along!

[Neal Ball]

It would seem that there has been approval to link the high speed (AVE) station at Elche to the current station in the centre of the city.

 

https://www.20minutos.es/noticia/4445109/0/aprobado-el-estudio-informativo-de-la-conexion-ferroviaria-de-la-nueva-estacion-del-ave-con-el-centro-de-elche/

 

Whether this will also see the link installed to the airport, is still not clear. About a year ago it was announced that the airport would be getting a railway station. Since when nothing has been heard.

 

Outside The Alicante-Elche airport there have been on going road works for quite a while, but this is to improve the motorway link road.

[Enterprisingwestern]

 

There is talk of the FGV being extended out from Alicante Luceros to the airport and being tagged on to the end of the extension to the railway station, the tunnelling and trackwork for which is already mostly there as it is part of the run round for Luceros.

I'm not holding my breath though!

 

Mike.

[Neal Ball]

On 10/11/2020 at 08:17, Enterprisingwestern said:

 

There is talk of the FGV being extended out from Alicante Luceros to the airport and being tagged on to the end of the extension to the railway station, the tunnelling and trackwork for which is already mostly there as it is part of the run round for Luceros.

I'm not holding my breath though!

 

Mike.

 

Indeed, given the AVE line from Cartagena should have opened ages ago and of course numbers using the airport have plummeted. I bet this will be at the bottom of the list when things return to "normal" post COVID.

 

Not to mention the on-going lack of work on the Benidorm - Denia line!

 

Ho Hum, welcome to Spain :-)

[Neal Ball]

The AVE service started last week from Orihuela and Elche to Madrid; 2hrs 20 and 2hrs 10 respectively. At the moment there are 2 trains a day, hopefully there will be more after the Pandemic.

 

Services from Murcia will start later in the year.

 

The newspaper article only mentioned connecting services to Balsicas and Cartagena.

 

There is hope that a new local line will be built from Torrevieja to Orihuela for the AVE service. Whether this will happen remains to be seen.

[Neal Ball]

There is an article in the Costa Blanca news about the train service again.

 

An extra service is starting, making it 3 per day on the AVE service to Madrid.

 

Since the service has started 156,000 people have travelled on the service.

 

Does anyone know what the AVLO service is for the summer trains? It says it’s a low cost service, so presumably on the slow lines?

 

Edited April 1, 2022 by Neal Ball
Photo added back in

[Rob K]

Hi there.

When I was in Spain in December, I’m pretty sure there was a news story that the Murcia line had finally started running its AVE service.

I am back there in a few weeks and will check

[Neal Ball]

On 09/01/2023 at 22:14, Rob K said:

Hi there.

When I was in Spain in December, I’m pretty sure there was a news story that the Murcia line had finally started running its AVE service.

I am back there in a few weeks and will check

Morning Rob, pretty sure it’s Orihuela to Madrid….. I could be wrong though.

 

The service frequency is due to increase this year.

 

Plus from this Summer there is a new high speed service from Alicante to Madrid from a rival company called Iryo: https://murciatoday.com/alicante-welcomes-new-low_cost-high_speed-train-service-to-rival-renfe_1840459-a.html

[McGomez]

On 09/01/2023 at 22:14, Rob K said:

Hi there.

When I was in Spain in December, I’m pretty sure there was a news story that the Murcia line had finally started running its AVE service.

I am back there in a few weeks and will check

The Murcia service started on the 19th December.

4 trains in each direction.

2 go via Alicante terminus and take 3h 25min which is moreorless what it takes to drive to Madrid from Murcia.

2h 50mim for the direct service.

The Murcia -Madrid direct trains now terminate in Chamartin whilst the services via Alicante stop at Atocha befor terminating in Chamartin.