Adif has been cleared by the Spanish government to tender for the overlay of ERTMS on Barcelona’s suburban rail network. The Spanish infrastructure manager is investing €92.9 million upgrading the signalling system on a 56-kilometre section between L’Hospitalet de Llobregat and Mataró in a move to increase capacity and improve service reliability.

A total budget of €92.9m has been set for the contract, of which €56.8m would cover the design and installation over 21 months of electronic interlockings, train protection and energy supply systems as well as fixed and mobile telecommunications including GSM-R. Maintenance over 20 years is expected to cost a further €36.1m.

Adif has also opened the tendering process of a separate 20-year contract to design, install, and maintain a new informatics system at Barcelona centralised traffic control (CTC) centre, which will be worth around €10.4m. The winning bidder will be responsible for migrating the centre from the current CTC system over a six-month period while ensuring train services remain unaffected.

The Barcelona CTC currently controls all conventional lines in the Barcelona and Girona provinces, and selected lines in the remaining Catalonian provinces of Tarragona and Lleida.

(Source: Adif)