Puntos de Interés
Infrastructure
Tunnel 8 Zarzalejo
The 265 metre-long Zarzalejo Tunnel is the 8th tunnel on what was supposed to be Baeza-Utiel railway line, a project that sought to connect the Andalusian region with the region of Valencia via Albacete, but which ultimately never came into service.
This infrastructure represents a typical engineering work of the project: more than one hundred tunnels were planned or the total layout, along with 25 viaducts. As for the name, zarzalejo means bramble, referring to the vegetation that once covered the hillside it crosses, blending into the landscape, history and nature.
The tunnel maintains its straight structure, with stone or exposed brick lining at the mouth, and is visible from the platform that has been reconditioned as part of the Nature Trail. Despite the lack of lighting, its condition allows safe transit, provided that the corresponding precautionary measures are taken and that a torch or autonomous lighting equipment is carried, especially during hours of low visibility.
Although the Baeza-Utiel line never operated commercially, the Zarzalejo Tunnel is part of this railway legacy, and a part of landscape and cultural heritage of the area.
