malaga
The Junta de Andalucía has revealed the plans for the stretch of the Metro through the city’s Alameda Principal
26.07.10 - 10:40 -
Long job. Work is now under way on the underground line between the Renfe station and the river. A. Cabrera
Construction of the city of Malaga’s future underground Metro service has been under way for the last couple of years although work began on the outskirts. The tunnels will have to cross the city centre, however, and the authorities are preparing for the most difficult part of the project: digging up the Alameda Principal and the Paseo del Parque. On Tuesday the regional Department of Public Works delivered its plans for the central stretch to the City Hall. Along this underground section, lines 1 and 2 will merge between the Tetuán bridge and the Paseo de Reding.
A new aspect of the plans is that they involve the construction of a second tunnel, underneath the main tunnel to be used by the Metro, which will allow the local Cercanías railway line to be extended at a future date to the Plaza de la Marina.
The inclusion of the second excavation is in response to a request made by the City Hall, according to municipal sources, who added that this will mean that if and when a decision is made to extend the Cercanías railway line, there will be no need to dig up the Alameda Principal all over again. The PP group at the helm of the City Hall has been calling for the central government to extend the line for some time.
Work on the 1,085 metres of underground line through the city centre will not get under way at least before May 2011. This the foreseen date for the completion of work on the stretch currently under construction between the Renfe railway station and the Guadalmedina. In order to reduce traffic disruption to a minimum work in the Alameda will not start until things are back to normal in the area around El Corte Inglés.
The tunnels will pass under the north carriageway of the Alameda as on this side it will affect as few trees as possible and be technically less complex.
Eighteen metres deep
The tunnels are being excavated using reinforced concrete diaphragm walls. These will be deepest where the tunnel passes beneath the River Guadalmedina where they will reach a depth of 18 metres below the bridge. At this point the Metro line will be 12 metres below the river bed. In the Plaza de la Marina excavations will go down 15 metres and in La Malagueta, a depth of 12 metres will be reached.
The central stretch of Metro line will include two stations, one in the Plaza de la Marina and another in the Malagueta area near the bullring.
1,085 metres: The length of the stretch of underground tunnel that will cross the city centre.
38 months: The estimated time required for the construction of the central stretch, which will not start at least until May 2011.
125 million euros: The estimated cost of the stretch.
