Euskal Trenbide Sarea has approved the project to reinforce the embankments between Pasaia and Irun

** Basque Railway Network** (Adif) has approved the construction project for ten geotechnical interventions on the section between Pasaia and Irun on the San Sebastián-Hendaye line, with a base tender budget of 1,892,576.44 euros —including VAT— and an execution period of 12 months. The decision is recorded in the resolution with reference 2026/4493, signed in Bilbao on October 14, 2026, by the general director of the organization, Antonio López Palenzuela. The text was published in issue number 204 of the Official Gazette of the Basque Country on October 26, 2026, in the “Other provisions” section.

The project is carried out on the section between Pasaia and Irun stations, on the San Sebastián-Hendaye railway line. According to the Basque Railway Network, structures requiring reinforcement were identified within the scope of works to update the embankment inventory and perform periodic inspections of geotechnical elements, and their current condition requires interventions to ensure the proper functioning of the railway service.

The resolution reminds that the signing body is competent to approve construction projects for railway infrastructure, by virtue of the powers delegated by the Directorate of Transport Infrastructure through the Resolution of March 16, 2020. The Technical Services of the Basque Railway Network have verified that the project fulfills its purpose and contains the necessary aspects for execution via contract, and have issued a favorable report.

Ten interventions according to the state of the embankments

The purpose of the project is to define and design ten specific interventions for the reinforcement and stabilization of the most damaged embankments. The activities have been specified according to the geotechnical characteristics of each embankment, its state of conservation, and the problems detected in technical inspections.

The resolution does not include the exact location of each intervention nor the details of the technical solutions; these are contained in the construction project documentation. Therefore, the approved documents fix the definition and design of the works, to be contracted later through a tender.

Budget in three levels, from 1.31 million to 1.89 million

The resolution distinguishes three amounts for the same project:

• Material execution budget: 1,314,380.47 euros.
• Contract execution budget: 1,564,112.76 euros, adding a 6% industrial profit and 13% general expenses.
• Base tender budget: 1,892,576.44 euros, adding 21% VAT.
• Execution period: 12 months.

The approved amount is the latter: 1,892,576.44 euros, including VAT. This amount will be the basis for the tender, as the approval of the project opens the way to start the contracting procedure.

Railway safety and the coastal axis

According to the resolution, the objective of the interventions is to ensure the proper functioning of the railway service. The San Sebastián-Hendaye line is the coastal axis of Gipuzkoa, connecting Pasaia and Irun toward the border crossing at Hendaye.

The stabilization of the embankments directly affects the continuity of the service: the degradation of geotechnical elements conditions the availability of the railway infrastructure, and the project is proposed as preventive maintenance work rather than as a repair after the fact.

Legal Framework and Appeals

The verification of the project is based on the following regulations:

• Royal Decree 2387/2004, of December 30, Railway Sector Regulation (Article 11).
• Law 9/2017, of November 8, on Public Sector Contracts (Article 233).
• Royal Decree 1098/2001, of October 12, General Regulation of the Law on Public Administration Contracts (Articles 126-132).

The resolution is not final in the administrative route. Interested parties may file an appeal for reversal within one month, addressed to the Undersecretary for Infrastructure and Sustainable Mobility. Public administrations, on the other hand, may file a contentious-administrative appeal within two months before the administrative litigation chamber of the High Court of Justice of the Basque Autonomous Community.

The stabilization of the ten embankments between Pasaia and Irun is not an isolated work, but rather a program to correct the weakest points of the line. The fact that the ten interventions have been grouped into a single project simplifies the contract, and the 12-month period allows the works to be organized in a single phase. Therefore, it is a preventive investment of 1.89 million euros for the reliability of the railway service on the Gipuzkoa coast, and it will have an impact on the passengers who use that line daily.

Fuente: Official Gazette of the Basque Country, number 204, October 26, 2026, Section I (Other provisions) (official reference: 2026/4493).