TheMadrid–Hendaye railway,[1] also known as theMadrid-Irún railway,[2]General del Norte Line orImperial Line,[3] is a 641.6 km railway line linking theSpanish capital ofMadrid with theFrench border atIrún andHendaye, serving important northern Spanish cities includingSan Sebastián,Vitoria-Gasteiz andValladolid.
The line is used by theCercanías San Sebastiáncommuter rail line between San Sebastián and Irún, andCercanías Madrid linesC-3,C-8 andC-10. Direct Madrid to Irun services often use theMadrid–León high-speed rail line between Madrid andValladolid-Campo Grande and switching to the Madrid-Hendaye line for the rest of the journey asAlvia services. VariousRenfe Media Distancia services operate on different stretches of track, mostly inCastile and León, and an Intercity service operates betweenA Coruña and Hendaye.
The mostly single-trackCasetas–Bilbao railway toBilbao-Abando forms a junction with the Madrid–Hendaye route at Miranda de Ebro. At Venta de Baños, the line toGijón begins.
