Figure 1: General view of the Trans-European Transport Networks. Project nº 7: Atlantic Corridor. Location of the project

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1 The purpose of this document is to present the application for the 2017 FIDIC awards for the Project "North- Northwest High-Speed Corridor. Sections: Valladolid-Burgos and Venta de Baños-Palencia. Sub-section: Venta de Baños Junction. Connection Valladolid-Palencia-León INTRODUCTION The High Speed project Sections: Valladolid-Burgos and Venta de Baños-Palencia. Sub-section: Venta de Baños junction is part of the Trans-European Transport Networks. Project nº 7: The Atlantic Corridor, which in turn belongs to the Corridor nº 3: High speed rail axis of south-west Europe (Madrid-Bilbao-Bordeaux-Paris) of the Trans-European high speed rail network (TEN-R). Also internally, the Spanish High Speed Railway Network sets out the core of the distribution to different destinations within the Atlantic Railway Corridor of the Spanish High-Speed Railway Network. Location of the project Figure 1: General view of the Trans-European Transport Networks. Project nº 7: Atlantic Corridor This project allows the distribution of high speed rail traffic from Madrid and Valladolid to the cities of Oviedo, León, Santander, Burgos, Vitoria, Bilbao, San Sebastián and the French border, thus guaranteeing direct high speed service to a population of over of a million and a half people. This project was the result of a long and thorough technical and administrative process that began in October 2000 when the Ministry of Construction of the Government of Spain issued the Study Order for the Preliminary Study: "New High speed rail access to North and Northwest of Spain. Valladolid-Palencia/Burgos sections". The process reached a milestone on October 23 rd, 2006, when the joint draft was approved. In February 2009, ACCIONA Ingeniería completed the drafting of the detailed design with strict compliance to national and European legislation for this type of high-speed railway infrastructure and the Design was approved by the Spanish Railroad Infrastructure Administration (ADIF). The section Venta de Baños-Palencia is one of two sections in which the Venta de Baños junction was divided in order to develop both the final design projects and the construction of the works independently. The railway line section Venta de Baños-Palencia was opened to traffic on September 29, This major project achieves one of the objectives outlined in the Strategic Transport Infrastructure Plan ( ), namely promoting economic development and competitiveness by enhancing the role of Spanish urban and metropolitan areas. This will result in great social benefits and greater territorial cohesion.

2 PROBLEMS EXISTING PRIOR TO THE PROJECT Following various studies conducted in prior stages (Preliminary Study and Draft), it was decided by the Spanish Railroad Infrastructure Administration (ADIF) to locate the general axis of the high speed line parallel to the conventional gauge rail Valladolid-Venta de Baños-Burgos along the existing railway hub located in Venta de Baños. As this hub is located beside the little town of Venta de Baños (10,000 inhabitants), this decision caused the high speed line to cross the railway station (comprising over 50 tracks) and the mentioned town. Another important element influencing the track alignment is the nearby Pisuerga river, flowing parallel to the track. During the last century Venta de Baños has turned into a highly industrialized town by taking advantage of its central location as a transportation hub (railways, roads and highways) surrounded by a number of important factories (Renault, Portland concrete, Precon precast, etc.). Renault factory Precon precast factory A-65 highway N-620a road and Madrid-Hendaya railway A-62 highway Railway hub Industrial area Venta de Baños Pisuerga river Portland concrete factory Pisuerga river Figure 2: General view of Venta de Baños and surroundings The above mentioned facts have influenced the general layout of the project as well as special solutions given to utilities, infrastructures interferences (using underpasses and overpasses) both at final stage and during construction. ACCIONA Ingeniería played a very active role in making this infrastructure a reality, as it developed the prior studies that formed the basis for the development of the final design of this infrastructure. More specifically, the Ministry of Construction awarded ACCIONA Ingeniería the contract for Consulting and Technical Assistance for the Preliminary Study and Draft: High Speed line Valladolid-Palencia/Burgos, carried out between October 2000 and October This study focused on the development of a new railway access to Venta de Baños from the south, as well as a new railway connection to Palencia and Burgos to the north and east. PROJECT DESCRIPTION The Project "North-Northwest High-Speed Corridor. Sections: Valladolid-Burgos and Venta de Baños-Palencia. Subsection: Venta de Baños Junction. Connection Valladolid-Palencia-León is part of the global project North-Northwest High-Speed Corridor. Sections: Valladolid-Burgos and Venta de Baños-Palencia. Sub-section: Venta de Baños Junction (Spain)". The railway line section Venta de Baños-Palencia was opened on September 29, 2015 and the railway line section Palencia-León and Venta de Baños-Burgos is expected to be opened to traffic in 2018.

3 The Venta de Baños junction is split into 3 different railway sections. As such, nine different tracks have been developed: - Valladolid-Burgos (1 track coloured blue). - Venta de Baños-Palencia (3 tracks, coloured red). - Palencia-Burgos (5 tracks colored green). Figure 3: General view of the final layout The Valladolid-Burgos track has a total length of 12.4 km, of which the first 7.7 kms (located on the Valladolid side) are part of this project. The 6.9km long Venta de Baños-Palencia track is entirely located within this Project. The Palencia- Burgos track has a length of 4.7 km, of which the first 1.37 km (located on the Palencia side) are part of this project. The project area is characterized mainly by the presence of small and medium population centers, road and railway infrastructures, industrial estates, isolated industrial facilities and workplaces delimited by water distribution channels. Also part of the railway layout is conditioned by the presence of the Pisuerga River, a tributary river of the Duero with a marked riverbed and large flow. The project presents four viaducts: - Viaduct 1 upon the river Pisuerga, 610 meters long and 14 spans, with main span 45 m long ( x = 610 m). - Viaduct 1 on road N-620a and Madrid-Hendaya railway, 266 meters long and 14 spans (15 + 6x20 + 2x x = 266 m). - Viaduct 2 on road N-620a and Madrid-Hendaya railway, meters long and 5 spans ( = m). - Viaduct over motorway A-62, 120 meters long and 3 spans ( = 120 m). The project also defines the construction of 6 overpasses, 12 underpasses and a 500m long cut and cover tunnel.

4 Figure 4: Construction and final state of the cut and cover tunnel (500 m long) The High Speed line Valladolid-Burgos crosses through the station of Venta de Baños, so it forces to modify the current station tracks scheme. Based on this, the replacement of the general tracks of the Madrid - Hendaya line and the Venta de Baños - Palencia line, around which the rest of the roads are being remodeled, is designed. This operation requires the implementation of a series of phases that allow the service of the station during the execution of the works. It has been also defined an stop for no high speed trains in the Venta de Baños station so a double platform 400 m long has been designed. INNOVATION, QUALITY AND PROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE The main challenge of the project was the strict compliance with the 14-month deadline for the drafting of the project. This was particularly challenging considering the size of the project and the time required for a geotechnical investigation suitable for the different foundation types of the project. To develop a detailed design of this magnitude in such a limited time, it was necessary to have a team of experienced specialists working in perfect coordination for the 9 tracks alignment. The various disciplines involved included mapping, civil engineering (railways, motorways, geotechnics and geology), drainage, cut and cover structure, facilities, temporary works, etc. The facilities associated with the railway facilities of the current Venta de Baños station are: alignment, permanent way, overhead contact line, traction power supply, station control centre, drainage, electricity, station building and platforms lighting, fire protection, intrusion detection, public address, CCTV, light signalling and station access control. TRANSPARENCY AND INTEGRITY All works included in the Detailed Design were made for the Spanish Railroad Infrastructure Administration (ADIF) of the Ministry of Construction of the Government of Spain. This body of the Central Government is responsible for the development, monitoring and control of railway planning as well as planning studies and prior studies, preliminary studies or feasibility studies, environmental impact assessments, drafts and detailed design of the State High Speed Railway Network. In October 2002 the Ministry of Construction drafted the informative studies "Informative Study of the North - Northwest Corridor of High Speed. Section: Valladolid - Burgos "and" Informative Study of the corridor North - Northwest High Speed. Section: Sale of Baños-Palencia / León ". The General Directorate of Railways jointly submitted the information study and its environmental impact study for official and public information process by issuing a note in the Official State Gazette number 293 dated December 7, 2002 as well as in The Official Gazette of Castilla y León, and in the Province of Palencia.

5 Finally, by resolution of July 14, 2006 (Official State Gazette number 185 of August 4, 2006), the Ministry of the Environment submitted the Environmental Impact Statement of the information studies of the "Northwest High Speed North Corridor Section: Venta de Baños - Palencia", together with the one corresponding to the Valladolid-Burgos section. Finally, the Secretary of State for Infrastructure, in Resolution dated October 5, 2006, published in the Official State Gazette number 253, dated October 23, 2006, approved the public information file and definitively the Informative Studies of the "North-Northwest Corridor of High Speed. Section: Valladolid - Burgos" and the "Corridor North - Northwest High Speed. Section: Venta de Baños - Palencia". SUSTAINABILITY AND RESPECT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT The detailed design includes the implementation of the Environmental Impact Statement, through the environmental suitability of the project, protection and conservation of soil and vegetation, protection of water systems and water quality, wildlife protection, atmospheric protection, noise protection, cultural heritage protection, maintenance of territorial permeability and continuity of existing services, environmental viability of borrow pits, landfills and ancillary facilities, defence against erosion, environmental recovery and landscape integration of the work, environmental monitoring and surveillance of the construction work and operation phase. The requirements of the Environmental Impact Statement were strictly complied with regarding aspects such as collection of animal species (particularly chameleons), protection and replanting of flora, and fire prevention. The solution developed affects the plain of the Pisuerga river as little as possible since the track runs as perpendicular as possible to the river. This allows the design of viaducts with the minimum interference. A minimum of 10 m free wide corridor between piles and the riverbank has been guaranteed. PROJECT BENEFITS Figure 5: Viaduct crossing upon the Pisuerga river This infrastructure is key to the continued development of the North and Northwest High Speed Corridor from Madrid and Valladolid to the cities of Oviedo, León, Santander, Burgos, Vitoria, Bilbao, San Sebastián and the French border. This project actively contributes to the welfare and safety of the many users of the new High Speed railway Madrid-Valladolid- Palencia-León, the sustainable development of this major transport infrastructure and the integration of the environmental. It is a major railroad transport infrastructure engineering project which accomplishes the long demanded aspiration of users of the High Speed railway network, namely to have a new high-capacity alternative to roads and motorways, which have become insufficient to serve the high demand of increasing passenger traffic on the north and northwest side of the country.