Renfe ‘s official website published a statement on Thursday, October 31, on the occasion of the catastrophe that has left Valencia’s railway lines disabled. The company reported that “damage to the infrastructure of the high-speed service” has led to the suspension of scheduled journeys from Madrid to the Valencian Community (and vice versa) for at least three weeks.
The damages referred to by Renfe are “tremendous” according to Óscar Puente himself, Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility. 1.2 kilometers of the Chiva tunnel infrastructure has completely collapsed: 300 meters on each side of the tunnel and 631 meters inside. On the other hand, 3 kilometers of the Torrent tunnel have been flooded and are in the process of being cleaned.
Commuter routes, the most affected by the DANA.
Óscar Puente has assured that Adif personnel are already working on the restoration of tracks despite the difficulty of accessing the affected points by means of wagons and exploration on foot.He has also pointed out the serious state of the Valencian commuter service. Lines C1 (Valencia Nord-Gandía), C2 (Valencia Nord-Moixent) and C3 (Valencia Nord-Utiel) are damaged to the point that platforms and tracks have disappeared. The C3 has been the hardest hit by the floods: it has 90 kilometers “totally destroyed” according to the latest report of the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility.
The C-5 (Valencia Nord-Caudiel) and C-6 (Valencia Nord-Castelló) commuter lines, although they are ready to be put into service, cannot be used until weather forecasts allow it.