The C-2, C-7, C-8a, C-8b, and C-10 lines of Cercanías Madrid will undergo changes in their circulation starting this Saturday due to the final phase of the works that Adif is carrying out this summer at the Atocha Cercanías station.
This third stage of the works will extend until August 28 and aims to complete the implementation of a new track scheme that will make it possible to increase the capacity of the Sol tunnel by 33%, reinforce the reliability of the service, and expedite the management of railway traffic in case of incidents.
On the C-2 line, the trains covering the Guadalajara-Alcalá de Henares-Chamartín-Atocha route will use the contour track, that is, the usual itinerary of the Civis, which divert through San Fernando to enter Madrid via Fuente de la Mora and Chamartín. The frequencies will be 20 minutes during peak hours and 30 minutes during off-peak times.
As for the C-7 (Alcalá de Henares-Atocha-Príncipe Pío), the service will be provided between Alcalá de Henares, Entrevías, and Atocha, with trains every 12 minutes during peak hours and every 16 minutes for the rest of the day. The section between Príncipe Pío, Las Rozas, and Nuevos Ministerios will have a frequency of 30 minutes.
On the C-8a line (El Escorial-Chamartín-Atocha-Alcalá de Henares-Guadalajara), the connection between El Escorial and Atocha will be offered every 30 minutes during peak hours and every 60 minutes during off-peak hours. The C-8b trains (Cercedilla-Chamartín-Atocha-Alcalá de Henares-Guadalajara) will run between Cercedilla and Atocha with the same intervals.
On the other hand, the C-10 line (Villalba-Príncipe Pío-Atocha Chamartín) will operate between Villalba and Delicias with a frequency of 30 minutes. In addition, access to the platforms of this line at the Méndez Álvaro station will remain closed.
The C-5 cut continues
These variations are added to the total cut that has been applied since July 23 on the C-5 line (Humanes-Móstoles El Soto) between Villaverde Alto and Embajadores, which will last until August 16.
During this interval, the trains between Humanes or Fuenlabrada and Villaverde Alto will maintain a frequency of ten minutes, the same that has been set for the section between Móstoles El Soto and Embajadores.
The shuttle trains between Villaverde Alto and Méndez Álvaro will remain operational, with stops at Puente Alcocer, Orcasitas, and Doce de Octubre and an approximate frequency of 35 minutes.
Users with valid Cercanías tickets will be able to use the regular buses of the Municipal Transport Company of Madrid (EMT).
Renfe will communicate these changes through customer service personnel at the stations, train and station announcements, physical and digital signage, social media, and its WhatsApp channel.
Closures in the Sol tunnel during two weekends
The works will also force the interruption of circulation in the Sol tunnel between Atocha and Nuevos Ministerios during the weekends of August 29 and 30 and September 5 and 6.
These closures will affect lines C-3 and C-4, which will establish provisional heads in Atocha and Nuevos Ministerios. Atocha will act as the head for trains on both lines, while Nuevos Ministerios will be the head for C-4 services.
The interventions are concentrated in the summer period, when the volume of travelers is lower, with the aim of minimizing inconvenience to users. These will also be the last works related to this action that will affect the service of the Sol tunnel.
Capacity increase starting in October
The project has a total investment of nearly 56 million euros and will modify the current configuration of tracks at Atocha Cercanías, which will change from the 4+3+3 scheme to a new 4+4+2 arrangement.
With this new design, tracks 1 to 4 will be assigned to the Recoletos tunnel, tracks 5 to 8 to the Sol tunnel, and tracks 9 and 10 to the Embajadores tunnel.
Starting in October, this organization will allow for an increase of up to 33% in the capacity of the Sol tunnel and will directly benefit lines C-3 and C-4.
Additionally, it will offer a greater operational margin between 6 and 9 a.m., which will help improve the flow of service during the morning peak hour and facilitate traffic management in the event of possible incidents.
The action is funded by the European Union through the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, financed by the European Union through the NextGenerationEU funds.