The Pajares Base Tunnel is a twin pair of railway tunnels beneath the Puerto de Pajares pass in the Cantabrian Mountains, Spain. The 24,667 m (80,928 ft) length tunnel form a key portion of the high-speed rail line between León and Gijón, and can be used by both high speed passenger trains as well as by slower freight trains.
Work commenced on the Pajares Base Tunnel following its authorisation in 2003. During the construction process, multiple setbacks were incurred on the part of the geological conditions present, particularly the copious ingress of water into the tunnels. Despite multiple years of remedial work and the deployment of unique engineering solutions, the infiltration issue has proved to be difficult to address, and questions have arisen as to if its electrification is even practical. As a result, the fitting-out of the tunnel has been delayed by several years. Early on, the through route was expected to be open in 2010. Finally, the tunnels were opened to passenger traffic the 30th November 2023.[1][2]
- ^ "Asturias goes through the time tunnel: great chronicle of the historic day in which the Variant saw the light". us.firenews.video. 30 November 2023. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- ^ "Spanish high-speed line under mountains opens after 20 years of construction". Trains. 2023-12-01. Retrieved 2023-12-03.