The King and Queen of Spain, together with Prime Minister José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, Transport and Development Minister José Blanco, the Presidents of the Autonomous Communities of Madrid and Valencia Esperanza Aguirre and Francisco Camps and the Chairmen of Adif and Renfe Antonio Gonzalez and Teófilo Serrano, presided over the inauguration of the Madrid-Valencia high speed line on 18 December. This infrastructure has required an investment of EUR 6.6 billion. The King and Queen also visited the new station at Requena-Utiel where EUR 12.4 billion has been invested.

The Madrid-Castilla La Mancha-Comunidad Valenciana-Region de Murcia high speed line offers other benefits besides cutting travelling time and enhancing journey quality: improving mobility is equal to economic growth. The increase in investment has become a driving force for the creation of employment – both direct and indirect jobs –, reinforces land cohesion and opens up new markets, particularly in the service sector. On a technological level, it promotes and incorporates RDI advancement by innovating in the areas of infrastructure, signalling, electrification and rolling stock.
The funds granted by the European Union for the construction of the new Madrid-Castilla La Mancha-Comunidad Valenciana-Region de Murcia high speed line amount to EUR 1,952.2 million.

(Source: Adif)