Alstom and Adif signed an agreement to develop a new third rail signaling system.
The third rail or mixed gauge system is installed inside the existing rails so that trains with international (1.435 millimeters) and Iberian gauges (1.668 millimeters) can run on the same tracks, enabling interoperability between European and Spanish networks.
The solution, which is inexpensive and can be implemented quickly, will be extended along the Mediterranean Corridor of the Spanish lines. Thanks to this technology, the Mediterranean freight Corridor is expected to be operational by 2015.
While third rail technology does not require large investments in infrastructure, it requires new signaling systems and overhead power cables. This groundbreaking technology developed in Spain can also be exported in other countries facing the same challenges, such as Portugal, Kazakhstan, Russia or Ukraine.