Three of the four design+ construct contracts on the 52km long Soto del Real (Madrid side) to Segovia tunnelling section of the Madrid-Segovia-Valladoloid/Medina del Campo high-speed rail line have been awarded by client Gestor de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias (GIF).
The project includes double shielded TBM construction of 26km long twin parallel tubes, each tube divided into two lots. The first award is for the $216.6m, Lot 1: south tube on the Soto del Real (Madrid) side to a JV of Nesco Entrecanales y Cubiertas SA/Dragados Construcciones SA/Tecsa SA. Construction is scheduled to take 49 months.
The second is for the $216.5m Lot 2: north tube on the Soto del Real side to the JV of Obrascon Huarte Lain SA/Hochtief AG/Sacvr SA/Guinovart SA/Comsa SA. Construction is scheduled to take 51 months. The third award is for the $186.8m, Lot 4: north tube on the Segovia side, awarded to a JV of FCC Construccion SA/Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas SA/Contratas y Ventas SA/ Vias y Construcciones SA/Ferrovial Agroman SA/Grupo Ferrovial SA, with a construction time of 57 months. Lot 3 for the south tube on the Segovia side is yet to be awarded.
The final lengths of the tunnel lots will be determined after the final design has been developed but is most likely to be 13km/lot, with an i.d of 8.5m. Tunnelling is scheduled to begin in March-April 2001.
