Puntos de Interés
Infrastructure
Tunnel 3 La Rambla
The La Rambla Tunnel is part of the old Baeza-Utiel railway line, now restored as the Renacimiento Greenway Nature Trail. It is located on stage 2, between Balazote and El Jardín, is 105 metres length and is one of the most representative of such tunnels on the route.
It was built in the 1930s as part of an ambitious project to connect the Levante with the south of the peninsula via the Meseta. Its masonry construction and the elegant semicircular arch covered with stone voussoirs, accompanied by a curious cladding of hexagonal ashlars, demonstrate the precision and aesthetic care of the railway engineering of the time. Despite the time that has elapsed, its structure and interior cladding remain in good condition.
The tunnel has no interior lighting, so the use of a torch or headlamp is recommended to ensure safe passage. Inside, the temperature is cool and constant, and during the walk you can hear the characteristic echo of these old railway galleries, now transformed into hiking and cycling routes. The name "La Rambla" refers to the small natural stream that runs in the vicinity of the tunnel, a seasonal stream that was saved by this tunnel, thus avoiding steep slopes in the railway line.
Although the train never ran on the Baeza-Utiel line - the project was cancelled before completion in 1964 - this tunnel is a piece of Spanish railway heritage. Its integration in the Renacimiento Greenway Nature Trail allows the visitor to enjoy an experience where landscape, engineering and memory are intertwined in the same route.
