Railway expropriation in El Viso for substations of the Puertollano-Mérida section

The General Directorate of the Railway Sector, under the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, has resolved to open a public information period and summon the owners of the assets and rights affected by the drawing up of the pre-occupation records of the Compulsory Expropriation File 20ADIF2699. The measure is published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Córdoba number 161, dated August 20, 2026 (reference BOP-A-2026-2867), and affects land within the municipality of El Viso (Córdoba), among other provinces.

The file arises from the works of the basic project for traction substations, associated autotransformer centers, and high-voltage lines of the Puertollano-Mérida section of the Ciudad Real-Badajoz line. The Railway Infrastructure Administrator (ADIF) requested the initiation of the file on July 7, 2026, and the project was approved on January 29, 2026, which entails the declaration of public utility or social interest, the need for occupation of the assets, and the declaration of urgency, in accordance with Law 38/2015, of September 29, on the Railway Sector.

Territorial Scope and Deadlines

The expropriation covers rural properties distributed across fifteen municipalities in three provinces:

• Badajoz: Cabeza del Buey, Capilla, Castuera, Don Álvaro, Don Benito, Guareña, Quintana de la Serena, and Villanueva de la Serena.
• Ciudad Real: Almadén, Almadenejos, Almodóvar del Campo, Brazatortas, Chillón, and Guadalmez.
• Córdoba: El Viso.

The owners of the affected assets and interested persons or entities have a period of 15 business days to submit in writing any allegations they deem appropriate, counted in the manner provided for in Article 17 of the Regulation of April 26, 1957, in accordance with the Compulsory Expropriation Law of December 16, 1954, and its implementing regulation.

Consultation of the Expropriation Annex

The Expropriation Annex can be consulted at the headquarters of the General Directorate of the Railway Sector (Paseo de la Castellana 67, Madrid), at ADIF-Alta Velocidad (Avda. Pío XII, 110, Madrid), as well as in the respective city councils and affected sub-delegations or delegations of the Government. It is also available online in the Public Participation section of the Ministry’s website (www.transportes.gob.es) and on the ADIF Transparency Portal (www.adif.es).

Affected Properties in El Viso

In the municipality of El Viso, six properties are listed, all of a rural nature, whose pre-occupation records will be drawn up on October 21, 2026, at 13:00 at the location designated by the city council:

• Estado del Madroñiz Homeowners’ Association: two estates of 5,588,290 and 478,515 m², with temporary occupation of 479 and 38 m².
• El Viso City Council: estate of 3,140 m², with temporary occupation of 3,140 m².
• Guadiana Hydrographic Confederation-MOP: two estates of 208,375 and 132,617 m², with temporary occupation of 4,042 and 3,914 m².
• Provincial Council of Córdoba: estate of 16,894 m², with temporary occupation of 218 m².

The publication in the bulletin shall serve as notification for unknown interested parties or those with an unknown address, for the purposes of Law 39/2015, of October 1, on the Common Administrative Procedure, although those affected will be individually summoned to the act of drawing up the preliminary records. The resolution is electronically signed in Madrid on August 3, 2026, by the Deputy Director General of Railway Planning, Francisco Javier Sánchez Ayala, substituting for the Director General of the Railway Sector.

The initiative represents a decisive step toward the electrification of the Ciudad Real-Badajoz line, a key infrastructure for railway traffic in the southwest of the peninsula. For the owners in El Viso and other affected municipalities, the period for filing objections and the drawing up of preliminary records are the means to defend their rights regarding the occupation of their land.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Córdoba, No. 161, August 20, 2026, Section III - General State Administration, page 12507 (official reference: BOP-A-2026-2867).