Mérida – Cazalla-Constantina
CHARACTERISTICS
- Estación de Mérida (UTM 29S 730310 4311388); (P.K. 0,000) / VM
- Estación de Calamonte (UTM 29S 726990 4307482); (P.K. 6,500) / VM
- Estación de Almendralejo (UTM 29S 726168 4284986); (P.K. 29,600) / VM
- Estación de Villafranca de los Barros (UTM 29S 730707 4271764); (P.K. 43,700) / VM
- Estación de Los Santos de Maimona (UTM 29S 730234 4259010); (P.K. 56,800) / VM
- Estación de Zafra Feria (UTM 29S 726106 4256078); (P.K. 63,800) / VM
- Estación de Zafra (UTM 29S 726530 4254928); (P.K. 65,200) / VM
- Estación de Llerena (UTM 29S 761781 4236342); (P.K. 105,600) / VM
- Estación de Fuente del Arco (UTM 30S 245882 4227932); (P.K. 118,300) / VM
- Estación de Guadalcanal (UTM 30S 254143 4219546); (P.K. 130,300) / VM
- Estación de Cazalla-Constantina (UTM 30S 262321 4201809); (P.K. 155,300) / VM
The section of railway between Mérida and Cazalla-Constantina belongs to Line 516 Mérida-Los Rosales, the rest of the line having been integrated since 1991 into Line C-3 of the Seville suburban rail network operated by Renfe. This section goes as far as Los Rosales station, stopping at the intermediate stations of Pedroso, Villanueva del Río Minas, Alcolea del Río and Tocina.
The implementation of the Mérida-Los Rosales line dates back to March 1869, with the concession to the civil engineer and politician, Manuel Pastor y Landero, of the construction of a railway line between Mérida and Seville. Construction soon began, but work progressed slowly over the following years due to the geographical difficulties encountered when crossing the Sierra Morena. [1]
The Mérida-Los Rosales line was first established in March 1869, with the concession awarded to [...] Manuel Pastor y Landero.
In May 1870, the first twelve kilometres of the line, from Tocina station to the coal mines of Villanueva, were opened for operation, but the section of the line between Tocina and Pedroso was not opened to traffic until June 1874. From that moment on, work continued from the other end of the line, at Mérida station. In June 1879 the 65.18 kilometre stretch between Mérida and Zafra station was put into service and a year later, in April 1880, the third 43.37 kilometre stretch between Zafra and Llerena station was inaugurated. [3][4]
In May 1870, the first twelve kilometres of line were opened, from Tocina station to the coal mines of Villanueva [...]
In 1881, due to the lack of financial backing to continue with the execution of the works, the railway concession was transferred to the company MZA, Compañía de los Ferrocarriles de Madrid a Zaragoza y Alicante, which continued with the construction work [3,5] taking on the challenge of the most difficult section, the crossing of the Sierra Morena, between Llerena, Fuente del Arco and El Pedroso, which was inaugurated in January 1885. [2][3][5]
From the outset, the line had several connections with routes of other railway companies. From 1889, Zafra station had direct access to the port of Huelva when the Iberian gauge railway line between Zafra and Huelva was inaugurated, now line 512 of the RFIG, the General Interest Railway Network.In 1895 a link was established with the narrow-gauge railway from Peñarroya to Fuente del Arco and a 15-kilometre branch line was opened from the north of Cazalla-Constantina station to the Cerro del Hierro mines. Although the branch line was owned by the British company Bairds Mining Company, it was operated by MZA. [4]

Apartadero de Llerena (Badajoz)
It should be noted that, for many years, the line formed part of the railway corridor known as the ‘Ruta de la Plata’, which linked Gijón with Seville via various lines, such as Asturias-León, Plasencia-Astorga and Aljucén-Cáceres, which meant that the line had a significant long-distance traffic, both of passengers and goods.
In 1941, when the Iberian gauge railway network was nationalised, the line became part of RENFE. Its traffic gradually declined until 1980, when RENFE’s plan to close loss-making railway lines in Spain jeopardised its continuity.In fact, the section between the stations of Zafra and Llerena was closed between December 1984 and June 1985. [6] However, the Regional Government of Andalusia committed to financing the line, both subsidising services and improving the infrastructure. This allowed the line to remain operational, mainly with Regional and Medium Distance services.
It should be noted that, for many years, the line formed part of the railway corridor known as the ‘Ruta de la Plata’, which linked Gijón with Seville [...]
In 2005, with the extinction of RENFE, within the framework of Law 39/2003 of the Railway Sector, the line came to depend on Adif like the rest of the RFIG of the State.
Over the last few years, the line’s infrastructure has deteriorated considerably, which has led to a reduction in traffic. For this reason, Adif has recently begun renovating and modernising the line. This renovation will improve the reliability and regularity of services, and will include improvements to the infrastructure, as well as the installation of new signalling and telecommunications systems.[7][8]
Over the last few years, the infrastructure of the line has deteriorated considerably, which has led to a reduction in traffic.
Among the main actions carried out or in progress in 2024 are the renovation of the track, the reinforcement of trenches and improvements to unique structures such as the Rivera del Huesna Bridge, located between the stations of El Pedroso and Villanueva del Río-Minas.
Likewise, Adif has also implemented improvements in signalling and telecommunications systems, including the installation of GSM-R and the replacement of the telephone block on the line with an automatic remote-controlled system.[8]
The line’s potential for tourism is moderate. The region through which it runs, Tierra de Barros, is known for its oil and wine, so it could attract some specialised tourism. On the other hand, along the route one can appreciate and interpret the transition from the valuable landscape of the Seville mountains to the Badajoz countryside. Cazalla is a point of tourist promotion and nature routes reached by the suburban train from the centre of Seville, so a possible tourist use of the railway to Zafra could provide access to the important Roman Theatre of Regina Turdulorum, among other historical sites of interest.
Among the main actions carried out or in progress in 2024 are the renovation of the lane, the reinforcement of trenches and improvements to unique structures [...]
The stations, reasonably well preserved, are similar in style and none of them stand out in any particular way. In terms of passenger transport possibilities, the line forms part of the Badajoz section of the Ruta de la Plata, connecting Mérida and Zafra with two other municipalities with a sufficient population to generate some demand for transport, Villafranca de los Barros and Almendralejo.
Category B1.
Non-electrified track with concrete sleepers in a reasonable state of repair.
Photographic report

Vista de los andenes en el apartadero de Llerena (Badajoz)

Apeadero de Fuente del Arco (Badajoz)

Apartadero de Guadalcanal (Sevilla)

Vista de la Línea 516

Cargadero de Cazalla - Constantina (Sevilla)
References
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D. C. Cancela, Diccionario biográfico de parlamentarios de Andalucía, 1810-1869. Centro de Estudios Andaluces, 2010.
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F. Wais, Historia de los ferrocarriles españoles. 1974.
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J. P. Torner, «Mérida a Sevilla (Los Rosales)», Ferrocarriles de España, 05-mar-2012. [En línea]. Ver referencia
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J. G. Raya, «Cronología básica del ferrocarril español de vía ancha», IV Congreso Historia Ferroviaria: Málaga, sep-2006. [En línea]. Ver referencia
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M. A. L. Morell, La Casa Rothschild en España: (1812-1941). Marcial Pons Historia, 2005.
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R. R. Melero, «Historia de la política ferroviaria de la Junta de Andalucía (1980-2005)», IV Congreso Historia Ferroviaria: Málaga, sep-2006. [En línea]. Ver referencia
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J.M. Jurado, La red ferroviaria en Andalucía, un recorrido por su pasado y su presente en: E. R. Macías, Los ferrocarriles en la provincia de Huelva: un recorrido por el pasado. Universidad de Huelva, 2007.
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Adif, «Adif avanza en la renovación de la línea Mérida-Los Rosales, con una inversión de 70 M€», Comunicación y prensa Adif, 03-abr-2022. [En línea]. Ver referencia