ADIF awarded Eiffage Energía, in a temporary joint venture with Telice S.A., a works and maintenance contract for the autotransformer stations and power remote control on the Pedralba-Orense section of the Madrid-Galicia AVE line, with a budget of over 10 million euros and a duration of 9 months.

The works consisted of:

The construction of several autotransformer stations for the catenary power supply system planned by ADIF for the aforementioned high speed section.
The 2×25 kV electrification system supplies power at a voltage of 50 kV, between the contact line and the feeder, and the rolling stock picks up power at a voltage of 25 kV between the contact line and the rail. The installation of autotransformers with a 55/27.5 kV ratio is therefore required approximately every 15 kilometres.
To house these autotransformers and their auxiliary equipment, there are plans to construct two types of trackside facilities, depending on whether the autotransformers are installed close to the neutral zones between substations, final autotransformer stations (FAS) or on the track section, intermediate autotransformer stations (IAS).
Each traction substation has its own area, including the autotransformer stations associated with the area substation, defined as the section of catenary that is powered by the substation in question in normal operating mode, not degraded mode.

Maintenance will be performed over 24 months, once the construction of the autotransformer stations is complete. Work will include:

Predictive maintenance, performed at predefined intervals, or in accordance with established criteria, intended to reduce the likelihood of the failure or degraded operation of certain components.
Corrective maintenance, performed after the recognition of a failure, intended to restore the component in question to a status in which it can perform the required function.