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Title: Possibly the most spectacular "Built but never open" ? Post by: eightonedee on October 10, 2023, 18:57:00 The new thread on lines or infrastructure built or never opened reminded me of something I came across "somewhere in Europe" a few years ago.
Can anyone work out where the spectacular viaduct pictured is? Title: Re: Possibly the most spectacular "Built but never open" ? Post by: bradshaw on October 10, 2023, 19:40:53 Guadeloupe, Spain
Title: Re: Possibly the most spectacular "Built but never open" ? Post by: eightonedee on October 10, 2023, 21:05:27 That didn't last long!
Well done, Bradshaw. Title: Re: Possibly the most spectacular "Built but never open" ? Post by: eightonedee on October 11, 2023, 19:57:11 Apologies, I meant to post an explanation when either this puzzle was solved or I gave the answer.
I saw this in 2009, while my wife I were on a holiday in Extremadura, primarily for bird-watching and general sight-seeing. We were approaching Guadalupe, as its monastery was a three-star attraction in the Lonely Planet Guide. On our return, I Googled the viaduct and found almost nothing in English. Eventually I found out that there was a proposal for more direct line between Madrid and western Andalusia via Tavalera and Badajoz, 168km long, that emerged in the 1920s. It was eventually abandoned after 35 years of interrupted construction in the 1960s. The Spanish Civil War caused the project to be paused, and the difficult geology of the mountainous country around north-eastern Extremadura (being both hard but too fractured to readily facilitate the tunnelling required) seems to have led to this decision, even though only a 20km gap remained to be filled. I cannot find the date of construction, but it features a ceramic mural dating from 1959. It was a concrete construction, and as far as I could see (it’s 190 feet high, and I was at ground level!) it only looked to be wide enough for a single track. I am not sure my photo gives a complete idea of how impressive the structure is. It is now classified as a cultural site. Worth a visit if you are in the area. Title: Re: Possibly the most spectacular "Built but never open" ? Post by: bradshaw on October 11, 2023, 22:21:54 1929 according to this-
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