Alejandro de la Joya, Chief Executive Officer of Ferrrovial Agroman, attended the inaugural journey of the section of the AVE linking Madrid and León together with the President of the Government of Spain, Mariano Rajoy. The event was also attended by the Minister for Public Works, Ana Pastor, and the President of Castilla y Leon, Juan Vicente Herrera.
The new Valladolid-Palencia-León section of the AVE links Palencia to Madrid in one hour and 23 minutes, which is 20 minutes less than the current route. Furthermore, the city of Palencia is 27 minutes by train from Valladolid and 43 minutes from León. The latter, in turn, is two hours and six minutes in AVE from Madrid, cutting 44 minutes from the current trip.
Ferrovial Agroman built the platform of the Valladolid-Burgos section of the track, specifically, the Cabezón de Pisuerga – San Martin de Valvení subsection. In addition to the Valladolid Campo Grande Station – Nudo Norte in Valladolid section and assembly of the track between Valladolid and Palencia.
A total of 1.62 billion euros was invested in the new line, which extends the AVE network to 166 kilometers. The Government has stressed the contribution of the line to the social and economic structuring of the territories it travels through. “The costs are outweighed by the enormous economic and social benefits it brings from day one,” said Mariano Rajoy.
The new section represents the high-speed gateway to Asturias, Cantabria and the Basque Country, which will service a potential audience of over 11 million people in four communities.
