Railway Connection to Terminal 4 at Madrid’s Airport
“Simply magnificent. The culmination of a huge project that opens the city of Madrid to the world” Mayor Alberto Ruiz Gallardón, September 2011
The contributions of Azierta to the supervision and control of the works connecting T4 of the main Spanish airport were a landmark in railway engineering that led to the integration of Barajas Airport in the High Speed Railway Network. Among the distinctions and awards this project earned, special mention deserves the “Award to the Best Public Work of 2013” given by the Professional Association of Civil Engineers of Madrid.
The railway system installed in the tunnels consists of three rail-tracks so that both commuter trains with the Iberian gauge and international gauge, high-speed trains can transit on a single track. This means that in the foreseeable future high speed trains will reach Terminal 4 in a mere 11 minutes, making Madrid into one of the cities worldwide with the best connection to its airport.
Technical characteristics
| Distance between Chamartín Station and – T4 | 8.8 km |
| Underground stretch | 4.7 km |
| Ventilation shafts and emergency exits | 7 |
| Pumping wells | 2 |
| Access ramps | 2 |
| Stations (accessible for persons with reduced mobility) | 3 |
| Technical station | 1 |
TUNNEL EQUIPMENT:
- Access to tunnel through ramps suitable for heavy vehicle transit.
- Access to tunnel through elevator that is able to accommodate an ambulance in underground stations.
- Ballast-less track system with single slab to make evacuation easier.
- Permanent and emergency lighting.
- Fire detection cable
- Ventilation.
- Cell phone repeater installation.
- Mixed dual track, with a three-rail system so that it can be used by both Commuter trains (Iberian gauge) and AVE (international gauge).
- Bivalent catenary to provide electric power supply with 3,000 V D or 25,000 V AC.
News, Links:
Article from “El País” (Spanish)
Article form “Fomento” (Spanish)
Article form “Europapress” (Spanish)
