Rail traffic between Barcelona and Tarragona is back in full effect after the reopening of the Roda de Berà tunnel, where a mixed gauge (Iberian and standard) was installed. On this very line, Hupac will launch a new service next week connecting the area with Antwerp in Belgium.
With the reopening of the tunnel, freight and passenger trains can once again use the infrastructure in Iberian gauge between Barcelona and Tarragona. Rail operator Hupac, for example, is seizing the opportunity by launching a new service connecting Antwerp with Tarragona via Barcelona and the Rode de Berà tunnel. The service will run five times a week starting from Monday 10 March.
A standard gauge link for freight trains
The works in the Roda de Berà tunnel, which measures 422 metres in length, are part of the project to create a mixed gauge railway between Barcelona and Tarragona, a key section of the TEN-T Mediterranean Corridor. This specific initiative was included in a 35 million euros investment for the Tarragona-Sant Vicenç de Calders section.
“The (tunnel) section has been widened by lowering the level by approximately 1.5 metres to install a third rail on both tracks, which enables the circulation of trains in both standard and conventional gauge”, the Spanish Ministry of Transport specified. Other operations included the installation of a slab track, which will make maintenance easier, and a new drainage system.
Barcelona and Tarragona are already connected via a standard gauge railway, but this line is used by high-speed passenger trains. The mixed gauge infrastructure, on the other hand, is expected to benefit rail freight as well. Works will now continue north of Sant Vicenç de Calders until the Castellbisbal node, which will unite the mixed gauge section to the standard gauge line going to France.
Tunnel closure disrupted traffic
Due to the works in the Roda de Berà tunnel, which started last October, traffic between Barcelona and Tarragona was disrupted for around five months. Many trains had to be cancelled throughout this period because of inadequate alternative routes. Some routes, for example, imposed length restrictions, while others required extra maneuvres, leading operators to incur in higher costs.