The Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility has re-established the railway traffic between Barcelona and Tarragona after completing the works to transform the tunnel of Roda de Berà, an action of great importance for the development of the Mediterranean Corridor and to promote rail traffic.

This fulfils the commitment to the region after five months of work in which 35 million euros have been invested in adapting to the third lane the Sant Vicen-Tarragona section, including the actions in the tunnel already completed.

The new infrastructures will contribute to the power train and benefit passenger transport thanks to its greater reliability and functionality and the improvement of travel times, resulting from higher maximum speeds (up to 120 km/h) and the elimination of temporary speed limitations.

The service between Barcelona and Tarragona will have a train every half hour, at most, in both directions on the days of daily to improve the connection between the two cities and reduce the waiting times, close to an hour before the works, on the regional lines of the south.

The overall supply of working day between Tarragona and Barcelona will increase on three new trains per direction, from 31/32 to 34/35. For the first time, homogeneous travel times will be introduced including the morning rush hour, thanks to a new ordination of the R2 line service. Trains will stop only in Altafulla, Torredembarra and, in some cases, in Vilanova i la Geltrú.

Transformation of the Roda de Berà Tunnel

In order to implement the standard width and integrate the tunnel into the Mediterranean Corridor, ensuring its interoperability, a comprehensive transformation of its structure and facilities has been carried out with the highest levels of stability, durability and robustness.

Thus, its section has been expanded by reducing the scraper by approximately 1.5 meters to install a third lane on both tracks, which allows the circulation of trains both in standard width and in conventional width.

In addition, it has undergone a thorough rehabilitation process, acting on both the platform and structural elements. The vault has been repaired and waterproofed, a new water drainage system has been installed and a concrete plate (an ideal tunnel configuration that facilitates maintenance tasks); new catenary and security and communications facilities have also been deployed.

On the outside of the tunnel, the scraping of the tracks has also been lowered and plated has also been installed on the adjacent sections. Anti-vibration blankets have also been arranged on the tracks and acoustic protection screens on the sides of the section.

The Roda de Berà tunnel, 422 meters long and double track, is the most unique infrastructure of the Tarragona-Sant Vicen section of Calders, on the line that connects with Barcelona both along the coast (Vilanova) and the interior (Vilafranca), and used by an average of 120 daily passenger and freight circulations.

The incorporation of the standard width between Tarragona and Sant Vicen de Calders, which completes the axis between the Castellbisbal Knot and the French border with the routes between the Nudo de Vila-seca, Sant Vicen and Martorell, is of great importance for the development of the Mediterranean Corridor by linking in standard width an area of great socio-economic, industrial and productive dynamism of Tarragona with the north of Catalonia and the rest of Europe.

In addition to the transformation of the Roda de Berà tunnel, other actions have been undertaken between Tarragona and Sant Vicenç de Calders, advancing the deployment of the third lane along the entire stretch.

To the renovation of the lane throughout the route are added the operations carried out in the stations of Tarragona, Torredembarra, Altafulla and Sant Vicenç de Calders, of special complexity by also contemplating the installation of numerous road appliances (deviations) specific for the mixed width and the adaptation of platforms, lower steps, catenary, etc.

Source: Spanish Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility.