ADIF tenders the construction supervision for the railway undergrounding in Torrelavega

ADIF has tendered the consultancy and assistance for the execution control of the works for the undergrounding of the meter-gauge line in Torrelavega (Cantabria), with an estimated value of 5,796,830.63 euros and a duration of 58 months. The announcement, signed by the president of the public business entity, Luis Pedro Marco de la Peña, is published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) no. 257, of October 16, 2026, section V-A, page 54662, with the official reference BOE-B-2026-33592 and file 3.26/06110.0205.

The contract is promoted by ADIF-Presidencia, a public law body under the control of a state authority attached to the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, with NIF Q2801660H and headquarters at calle Sor Ángela de la Cruz, 3, Madrid. The object is classified under CPV code 71356000 (technical services) and its main place of performance is ES130, corresponding to Cantabria. The procedure is open and variants are not permitted.

An agreement between three administrations and 145 million

The action derives from the agreement signed on April 27, 2018, between the then Ministry of Public Works, ADIF, the Government of Cantabria, and the City Council of Torrelavega for the integration of the railway in the city. The initial agreement provided for:

• The undergrounding of the railway route over a length of 1,800 meters, between the level crossings of Paseo Niño and Pablo Garnica street.
• The construction of a new underground station.
• The adaptation of the current passenger building.
• The urbanization of the surroundings and the reorganization of necessary roads.
• The urban transformation of the freed space.

The initial cost was estimated at 79.13 million euros, plus 4 million for the drafting of the railway project. An addendum dated December 23, 2022, added 4 million for the underground parking and extended the agreement by three years. The second modifying addendum, signed on December 22, 2025, and published in the BOE of February 13, 2026 (BOE-A-2026-3354), raised the total budget of the actions to 144,807,954.01 euros excluding VAT and set the completion of all works in 2033. The agreement was published on August 8, 2026, via an ADIF resolution dated June 24, 2026 (BOE-A-2026-17361).

Deadlines, criteria, and appeal process

Interested companies may submit bids until 1:00 PM on November 13, 2026, electronically through the elicitadores.adif.es platform. The schedule set in the announcement is as follows:

• Opening of the technical bid envelope: November 17, 2026, at 10:00 AM.
• Opening of the economic bid envelope: December 15, 2026, at 10:00 AM.
• Mandatory bid maintenance: 4 months.

The award criteria weight the price at 49%, several criteria described in the administrative specifications at another 49%, and the additional experience of the assigned human team at 2%. The announcement was sent to the Official Journal of the European Union on October 9, 2026, and to the BOE on October 13, 2026, and the contract is covered by the Agreement on Government Procurement. Appeals may be filed before the Central Administrative Tribunal for Contractual Appeals within 15 business days.

The main work, already out for tender

This service tender comes one week after ADIF put the material execution of the works out for tender. The announcement published on October 8, 2026 (BOE-B-2026-32643, file 3.26/06110.0108) tenders the works for the undergrounding and its complementary actions for an estimated value of 128,644,322.91 euros, with an execution period of 52 months and receipt of bids until December 1, 2026.

The undergrounding of the meter-gauge line as it passes through Torrelavega is one of the railway actions with the greatest urban impact in Cantabria: it involves burying 1,800 meters of track, building a new station below ground level, and freeing up land in the city center for urban transformation. With both contracts on the market, the administration faces the decisive phase of a project whose schedule extends until 2033 and whose cost already nearly doubles the initial 2018 estimate.

Source: Official State Gazette, no. 257, October 16, 2026, Sec. V-A, page 54662 (official reference: BOE-B-2026-33592).