Engaña Tunnel
Overview | |
---|---|
Location | Cantabria and Burgos, Spain |
Coordinates | 43°06′56″N 3°44′32″W / 43.11556°N 3.74222°W |
Status | Abandoned |
Start | Vega de Pas, Cantabria 43°06′56″N 3°44′32″W / 43.11556°N 3.74222°W |
End | Merindad de Valdeporres, Burgos 43°03′11″N 3°44′04″W / 43.05306°N 3.73444°W |
Operation | |
Constructed | 1941–59[1] |
Technical | |
Length | 6,976 m (22,887 ft)[1] |
Highest elevation | 748 m (2,454 ft)[2] |
Lowest elevation | 632 m (2,073 ft)[2] |
The Engaña Tunnel (
In 1961, the construction of the railway line was suspended as a result of restrictions on public investment in Spain, and the tunnel was never completed. It was later used by residents of the area and truck drivers as an alternate road, but became impassable by vehicles after the collapse of some parts of the structure in 1999 and 2005.[2][6]
History
Background
The Engaña Tunnel is part of the Santander–Mediterranean
Construction
In 1941, two years after the end of the
As least 16 workers had died during the construction from 1951 to 1959, and no figure is known for the construction during the first years. A large number of the workers eventually died from
In 1961, the construction of the Santander–Mediterranean railway line was indefinitely halted with only 39 kilometres (24 mi) left to build. Although the construction of the Engaña Tunnel had been finished two years before, rails were never laid.
The tunnel has a length of 6,976 metres (22,887 ft), with a slight curve in the first 300 metres (980 ft) of the southern entrance, while the rest is completely straight.[6] In 1959, the contracted company stated that 100,000 cubic metres (3,500,000 cu ft) of concrete, 20,000 cubic metres (710,000 cu ft) of cement, 575,000 kilograms (1,268,000 lb) of explosives and 70 tonnes (77 short tons) of steel had been used. The construction consumed 20 million kilowatt hours, while 600,000 cubic metres (21,000,000 cu ft) of debris were extracted from the tunnel and the investment was estimated at 300 million pesetas.[16] The reported lack of proper steel reinforcement in the structure led to widespread deterioration of the infrastructure, which later caused the collapse of some sections. The quality of the material used decreased as the tunnel construction rate was increased from half a meter per day in the early 1950s to three meters per day during the last years.[1][11][17] By 1964, a report described the deterioration of the tunnel caused by the harsh climate of the region and the lack of maintenance, with suggestions to wall up the tunnels in order to prevent the formation of ice inside.[13]
Aftermath
In 1985, the
For years the tunnel was used by residents of the area, herders, recreational off-roaders and truck drivers who found the mountain passes snowbound during part of the winter.[6] The southern entrance was walled up and sections of the structure collapsed in 1999 and 2005, making it impassable for vehicles due to ceiling debris. Travel through the tunnel on foot is extremely dangerous, as there are ceiling-high piles of debris, some sections remaining flooded, and concerns about the risk of further landslides.[2][6] The six kilometers between the southern entrance and Santelices have been turned into a rail trail, as part of a proposed 106-kilometre (66 mi) greenway between the tunnel and Burgos.[5]
See also
- List of never used railways
- List of tunnels in Spain
References
- ^ a b c Cobo, Teresa (9 November 2011). "Los grandes datos del túnel de La Engaña (1941-1961)" [The great facts of the Engaña Tunnel]. El Diario Montañes (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 19 January 2012. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
- ^ a b c d Cobo, Teresa (9 January 2012). "Travesía bajo tierra por La Engaña" [Underground crossing of the Engaña]. El Diario Montañes (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 16 January 2012. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
- ^ a b Gil, Ángeles (5 November 1987). "El túnel ferroviario más largo de España, cerrado desde que se terminó, hace 27 años" [The longest railway tunnel in Spain, closed since it was completed 27 years ago]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 February 2012.
- Diario Vasco(in Spanish). Retrieved 28 February 2012.
- ^ a b "Comienzan las obras de la vía verde del Ferrocarril Santander-Mediterráneo en La Bureba" [Work begins on the greenway rail trail of the Santander-Mediterranean in La Bureba]. desnivel.com (in Spanish). 5 July 2011. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g Cobo, Teresa (25 September 2011). "El agujero negro entre Cantabria y Burgos" [The black hole between Cantabria and Burgos]. El Diario Montañes (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 February 2012.
- ^ "Línea ferroviaria Santander al Mediterráneo" [Railway line Santander to Mediterranean]. ADBAYSE (Advanced Business Actions & Services) (in Spanish). issuu.com. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
- ^ Olaizola Elordi, Juanjo (5 February 2012). "Trabajo forzado y ferrocarril" [Forced labor and railway] (PDF). El Diario Montañes (in Spanish). Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 June 2012. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
- ^ a b c Serrador, Montse (3 March 2003). "Un destino para La Engaña" [A fate for the Engaña]. Diario ABC (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 February 2012.
- ^ Cobo, Teresa (5 February 2012). "El túnel fue la víctima oficial número 17" [The tunnel was the official victim number 17]. El Diario Montañes (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 16 February 2012. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
- ^ a b Cobo, Teresa (13 November 2011). "Unidos por el túnel medio siglo después" [Linked by the tunnel half a century later]. El Diario Montañes (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 February 2012.
- ^ Fuente, Felipe (6 October 1970). "No es aconsejable continuar las obras del ferrocarril Santander-Mediterráneo" [It is not advisable to continue the railway works Santander-Mediterranean]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 February 2012.
- ^ a b Santos y Ganges, Luis. "Ferrocarril y Territorio: El caso de la sección 7º del Santander-Mediterráneo" [Rail and Territory: The case of section 7 of the Santander-Mediterranean] (PDF). Instituto Universitario de Urbanística de la Universidad de Valladolid (in Spanish). Fundación de Ferrocarriles Españoles. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 June 2012. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
- ^ a b Cobo, Teresa (10 February 2012). "La vana promesa de acabar el Santander-Mediterráneo" [The vain promise to finish the Santander-Mediterranean]. El Diario Montañes (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 12 February 2012. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
- ^ I.L.H. (24 December 2011). "El ferrocarril que perdió el Norte" [The railway that lost its bearing]. Diario de Burgos (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 February 2012.
- ^ Medina Gomez, José (9 May 1959). "El túnel más largo de España" [The longest tunnel in Spain]. Diario ABC (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 February 2012.
- ^ "El ferrocarril Santander-Mediterráneo" [The Santander-Mediterranean railway]. Fundación Cultural Eusebio Gómez García y Justina Berdía López (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 February 2012.
External links
- Website about Santander–Mediterranean railway (in Spanish)
- Photo Gallery - Crossing of La Engaña tunnel Archived 2012-01-19 at the Wayback Machine, El Diario Montañes, 2012. (in Spanish)