Adif commissioned Geocontrol to analyze and evaluate two economic proposals tied to a plan that involved burying the railway in Montcada i Reixac, a project in the Barcelona area. The initial contract was pitched at 621 million euros and followed a bidding process that aimed to construct the deep-level rail solution in the town.
In the wake of a tragic rail accident in Montcada i Reixac, which resulted in numerous fatalities, the town faced intensified scrutiny over transport decisions. Laura Campos, the town’s mayor during the aftermath, stated that the Ministry of Transport and Adif were pursuing options to advance the track burial project under the framework of high-speed line considerations. This context complicated the project’s political and logistical landscape.
The tender process was restarted late last year after the National Construction Confederation submitted objections to certain administrative aspects of the first tender dossier. The Central Administration Contracted Supreme Court later ruled on these objections in June, prompting a fresh evaluation cycle.
Four bids were received for the revised tender. Two of the proposals were deemed to reflect disproportionate values, effectively labeling them as clearly low bids in relation to the project scope.
Adif announced that Geocontrol would perform a detailed review of the two flagged proposals. Geocontrol has previously assisted in preparing the Montcada i Reixac integration plan, a project designed to align human and material resources with the technical specifications, construction procedures, and deadlines laid out in the work plan.
According to internal assessments, Geocontrol will serve as a support and complement to Adif’s technical teams, reinforcing the evaluation process.
Officials from the infrastructure manager indicated that there was no fixed deadline for resolving the tender matter and highlighted the technical complexity involved. The Montcada i Reixac project is a major undertaking, second only to the La Sagrera node in terms of scale within the regional framework.
The integration of the railway into the city center of Montcada i Reixac is a cornerstone of large-scale urban and rail regeneration efforts envisioned in the Rodalies Plan. The initiative aims to improve safety for residents and enhance the reliability of rail operations. The ministry stressed that the plan will remove two level crossings on a busy route used by Rodalies lines R2 and R11, where both vehicle and pedestrian traffic are dense.
At its core, the project seeks to balance urban development with secure and efficient rail travel, reflecting a broader strategy to modernize regional infrastructure while addressing public safety concerns. In this context, the evaluation of proposals by Geocontrol is framed as a critical step in ensuring that the chosen path maintains rigorous construction standards and meets the expected timelines. The outcome will likely influence subsequent stages of the Montcada i Reixac integration and broader plans for the rodalies network. (Source: EFE)