| Murcia–Almería high-speed rail line | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Status | Under construction |
| Owner | Adif |
| Locale | Spain (Region of Murcia,Andalucia) |
| Termini | |
| Service | |
| Type | High-speed rail |
| Operator(s) | Renfe Operadora |
| History | |
| Opened | 2026[1] |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 184 km (114 mi) |
| Number of tracks | Triple track |
| Track gauge | 2 tracks1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)standard gauge, 1 track1,668 mm (5 ft 5+21⁄32 in)Iberian gauge |
| Electrification | 25 kV 50 Hz[2] |
| Operating speed | max 300 km/h (190 mph) |
TheMurcia–Almería high-speed rail line is an under-construction railway in theRegion of Murcia andAndalusia inSpain.
Murcia and Almería were once linked by rail fromLorca toGuadix viaBaza, however this line closed in 1985.
Since 1992 Spain´sAVE high speed rail network has continued to expand but has yet to connect Almeria.With theMadrid–Levante high-speed rail network reachingAlicante railway station in 2013, andMurcia del Carmen railway station in 2022[3] a continuation from Murcia toAlmería railway station is awaited. Construction of the new high-speed line began in 2010,[4] but was suspended due to political disagreements. In 2017 the Spanish government announced that work would restart in 2019, to be completed by 2023.[1] The railway's estimated completion date has since been pushed to 2026.[5]
The line will serve as a continuation of theMadrid–Levante high-speed rail network at Murcia, serving stations atLorca andVera before terminating in Almería. It will include two standard-gauge high-speed tracks for passenger trains with a maximum speed of 300 km/h (190 mph) and a parallel1668 mm Iberian gauge track for freight.[4] The trip from Murcia to Almería is expected to take 1 hour 5 minutes,[6] and 3.5 hours to Madrid, compared to the current six hours taken using the existingLinares Baeza–Almería railway.