The Spanish high-speed rail (HSR) infrastructure manager Adif AV has awarded the construction company Sacyr a €165 million contract for the integration of a HSR line from Murcia to the southern Andalusian city of Almería. The plan is to build a 1.9 km tunnel between the El Puche tunnel and the Avenida del Mediterráneo with three-rail track for operation on European standard gauge and Iberian broad gauge, and to develop Almería station into a transport hub. The HSR line will connect to Almería station at street level, and of six station tracks three will be standard gauge, two broad gauge, and a sixth mixed gauge. The contract award was already approved by the supervisory board of Adif AV in September 2022, but was delayed due to financing issues.
