The long-awaited splitting of the R3 line from Rodalies to Mollet del Vallès will include the construction of a new, more central station on a viaduct. The urban integration planned by the Ministry of Transport and the City Council does not include the undergrounding of the roads – except in one area – but new underpasses to connect the two sides of the infrastructure. The planned investment is around 80 million euros. Minister Raquel Sánchez announced it yesterday, during a visit to the city, accompanied by Mayor Mireia Dionisio.
The section in which action will be taken is the one that goes from the Mollet-Santa Rosa station to the Parets del Vallès station, where the track duplication project to La Garriga begins, which is already underway. They are 2.8 kilometers with two very different parts. The most complex is that of the urban core, where, in addition to splitting the railway infrastructure, action will be taken to reduce the barrier effect posed by unburied tracks. New underpasses will be built and part of the route next to the cemetery will be covered. The agreement is the result of months of work between the two administrations, which already started talking last year.
The future station will be located around Rambla Nova, about 750 meters north of the location of the current one in Santa Rosa, which it will replace. In this central section, where the tracks are on a slope, a 350 meter long viaduct will be built. It will be completely permeable underneath and will therefore allow you to cross anywhere. Now you can only cross via Gaietà Vínzia (cars and pedestrians) and via Rambla Nova (pedestrians). The station will be under the viaduct and access to the platforms, located above, will be through elevators or mechanical ramps.
As the minister detailed, the transfer of the station will make it possible to attract more passengers. In addition, the urban integration of the entire railway route will also be redone and wide crossings will be opened with a “gender perspective” to guarantee the safety of users. In this sense, one of the outstanding interventions is the covering of part of the railway “trench” that is in the cemetery area. There it is planned to cover a hectare of roads taking advantage of the split.
Everything must be embodied in a constructive project that the ministry undertakes to tender in October. The company that wins the competition will have around 20 months to develop it. From here, it will be possible to tender for the splitting works.
Sánchez pointed out that it has been chosen to go ahead with this split section through an executive project, which is expected to be tendered between October and November, without the need for an informative study, among other reasons because keep track This shortens the process by about four years. The mayoress recalled that Mollet had demanded that the split be done by burying the tracks, but now the City Council is in agreement with the proposal because it includes measures for the urban integration of the train and speeds up the work.
The total splitting of the R3 between Vic and Barcelona does not yet have defined calendars, although it is on the horizon. The Central Government wants it to be a reality by 2030, which would cut the length of the journey, which is now one hour and 20 minutes, by around 20 minutes and provide a higher quality service.
