Through the H24 Network Management Centre, Adif is activating its Winter Prevention Master Plan, valid until 1 March. The aim of this initiative is to minimize the impact of the most adverse meteorological phenomena on the development of railway activity during the winter months, thus guaranteeing the mobility of passengers and freight on the railway network.
During the period covered by the plan, Adif's various operational units will coordinate with the 16 passenger and freight railway companies operating on the network to guarantee the quality of transport on standard, conventional and metric gauge lines. The initiative also relies on the collaboration of the Spanish Meteorological Agency (AEMET), which issues warnings every 12 hours about the risk of adverse weather conditions - rain, snow, fog, cold spells and coastal phenomena - affecting the different lines.
Among the measures detailed in the plan are 18 locomotives equipped with snowploughs for rapid intervention at strategic points on the network: nine on the conventional gauge network, three on the metric gauge network and six on the standard gauge network.
Similarly, in view of the risk of low temperatures, checks will be stepped up to ensure the correct operation of the 20 gauge changers. These allow trains to switch between standard gauge and Iberian gauge infrastructure. On the other hand, the high-speed network is equipped with special heaters that prevent the turnouts (infrastructure elements that allow trains to travel on both branches of a fork) from freezing. This minimizes the risk of traffic stoppages. The plan also identifies 22 installations, distributed throughout the network, where fuel is stored to ensure circulation when electric traction is not possible.
