Adif

Adif, short for Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias, is a Spanish state-owned company responsible for the ownership, operation, and maintenance of most of the country’s railway infrastructure. This includes tracks, electrification, signaling systems, stations, and related real estate. Adif does not operate train services; passenger and freight services are provided by Renfe and other railway operators, which use the infrastructure under capacity access agreements and charges set by Adif.

The company was created as part of the liberalization of the Spanish railway sector in the mid-2000s, separating infrastructure management from rail operations. The aim was to centralize planning and maintenance of the network and to facilitate competition among operators. A separate subsidiary, Adif Alta Velocidad (Adif AV), was established to manage the high-speed rail network, while Adif itself focuses on conventional lines and associated assets.

Key functions of Adif include planning and financing network expansion and modernization, maintaining and renewing tracks and signaling, administering station operations and rail access to the network, and collecting track access charges from operators to recover infrastructure costs. It also oversees related real estate and logistics activity around railway facilities and participates in European and national efforts to integrate the rail system with TEN-T corridors and other international standards.

Adif reports to the Spanish Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda and operates under a governance framework typical of public-sector entities, with a board of directors and public accountability. It collaborates with Renfe and other operators to ensure interoperability and safe, efficient rail transport across Spain.