The European Investment Bank (EIB) has signed a framework agreement with Spain to provide €5bn to finance high-speed rail projects in the country.
Some of the projects include building the Madrid-Badajoz line (towards Lisbon), the Madrid-Alicante-Murcia and Valladolid-Burgos-Vitoria high-speed lines, as well as the expansion of Madrid's Atocha station.
Other projects include building a new tunnel for high-speed use connecting Madrid's Atocha and ChamartÃn stations, building the third and fourth tracks on the high-speed section between Torrejón de Velasco and Madrid and building the Valladolid-Galicia high-speed line.
Work will be carried out between 2010 and 2015 by the country's rail infrastructure administration Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias.
