SPANISH infrastructure manager Adif has awarded a consortium of Alstom and Isolux Corsán a €28m contract to design, construct and maintain a traction substation and catenary system for the 44.3km link under-construction between La Robla in León and Pola de Tena, Asturias, which will eventually form part of the León to Gijon high-speed line.

CATALAN Government Railways (FGC) celebrated the introduction of its new fleet of class 113 1.5kV dc suburban emus on January 27, when the first train was named Barcelona in a ceremony at the city's Plaça Catalunya station.

SPAIN is planning to install only single track on most new sections of high-speed line in a bid to reconcile ambitious plans to extend the reach of the standard-gauge network with the budgetary restraints imposed by the economic crisis.

THE Spanish Government last week approved the splitting of Adif into two separate bodies in order to avoid the infrastructure manager's spiralling debt from being included in the national debt, in accordance with recent changes to the European System of National and Regional Accounts (ESA 2010).

THE Spanish and French presidents, Mr Mariano Rajoy and Mr François Hollande, announced on November 27 that direct TGV services between Paris and Barcelona will start on December 15. The long-awaited confirmation follows months of rolling stock validation tests carried out in both countries.

THE autonomous region of Madrid is to mothball a suburban line opened just eleven years ago, which connects the capital with the Warner Bros amusement park and the town of San Martin de la Vega, which has a population of 19,000.

THE European Commission (EC) has approved the planned acquisition of a 25% stake in Spanish open-access railfreight operator Comsa Rail Transport (CRT) by French National Railways (SNCF), which was first announced in April.

RAIL will remain Spain's top transport priority in 2014 according to the Ministry of Public Works and Transport's draft budget published last week, accounting for 51% of the total planned investment of €8.98bn. Rail spending will increase by 21% from €3.78bn this year to €4.58bn in 2014.

THE president of Spanish infrastructure manager Mr Gonzalo Ferre and his two predecessors in the role, Mr Enrique Verdeguer and Mr Antonio Gonzalez, have been summoned to give evidence before the criminal judge investigating the accident at Santiago de Compostela on July 24, which left 79 dead and injured dozens.