The Basque Country will contract the works for the first phase of the train bypass in southern Bilbao

The General Administration of the Basque Country will contract and execute the platform works for the 1st phase of the Bilbao South Railway Bypass, through an entrustment made by ADIF. The agreement was signed on July 30, 2026, by the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, the Ministry of Finance, the General Administration of the Basque Country, and ADIF, and was published in the Official Gazette of the Basque Country, issue number 181, on September 22, 2026, via Resolution 89/2026.

Content and legal basis of the entrustment

Through the entrustment enabled by Article 6.4 of the Railway Sector Law 38/2015, ADIF has granted the General Administration of the Basque Country the powers for the tendering and execution of all projects for the 1st phase of the Bilbao South Railway Bypass, as well as the faculty direction, health and safety services, and other services necessary for the direction of the works. The entrustment does not include the technical approval of projects, supervision, or the acceptance of works; these remain under the responsibility of ADIF. The works may be carried out directly by the Basque Administration or through the public entity Basque Railway Network (ETS).

Budget and financing

• Total cost: 438,267,557.49 euros, excluding VAT; including VAT 530,303,744.57 euros.
• Financing: Under the protection of the fourth additional provision of the Economic Agreement of the Basque Country (Law 12/2002), through quota reductions, 417,402,435.70 euros (excluding VAT).
• Technical assistance: 20,865,121.79 euros (excluding VAT), charged to the Basque Administration, from August 1, 2026, onwards.
• Expropriations: 4,081,309.98 euros, charged to ADIF and outside the scope of the agreement.
• Annual distribution: 22,600,000 euros in 2026, 112,500,000 in 2027, 129,500,000 in 2028, 129,337,580.43 in 2029, and 44,329,977.06 in 2030 (excluding VAT).

Characteristics and background of the work

The 1st phase extends between the Serantes tunnel and the bridge over the Kadagua river, approximately 12.4 kilometers, mostly in a tunnel. The entire bypass will be approximately 22.4 kilometers, and the 2nd phase will add approximately 10 kilometers up to Arrigorriaga. The design provides for a mixed track, Iberian and international gauge, and a maximum speed of 250 km/h for passengers.

Background: Protocol of March 15, 2017, agreement of July 12, 2017, addendum of July 9, 2021, and agreement of December 9, 2025, to carry out the liquidation before July 31, 2026. The work for Lot A was awarded on April 16, 2025, to the UTE composed of the companies COMSA S.A.U., AZVI S.A.U., IZA Obras y Promociones S.A., and Campezo Obras y Servicios S.A. for 100,486,355.10 euros and a period of 38 months. The Olabeaga branch project remains outside the scope of the agreement.

Monitoring, duration, and signatories

• Monitoring Committee: 4 representatives from the State Administration (3 from the Ministry of Transport, 1 from the Ministry of Finance) and 4 representatives from the Basque Administration; chaired by the Secretary of State for Transport and Sustainable Mobility.
• Technical Subcommittee for Monitoring and Coordination: 1 representative from the Ministry of Transport, 2 from ADIF, and 3 from the Basque Administration; it will meet at least once every three months.
• Duration: maximum of five years, extendable, according to the 138th additional provision of Law 11/2020.
• Signatories: Óscar Puente Santiago, Arcadi España García, Susana García Chueca, Noël d’Anjou Olaizola, and Luis Pedro Marco de la Peña.

This assignment opens the execution phase of one of the main transport axes of Bizkaia: the fact that the Basque Country contracts the works should speed up management, and the bypasses will remove goods traffic from the urban centers of Barakaldo, Sestao, Portugalete, and Santurtzi, as it currently crosses an area of over 200,000 inhabitants.

Fuente: Boletín Oficial del País Vasco, n.º 181, 22 de septiembre de 2026, I. atala, orr. 1-18 (official reference: 2026/3973).