The direct line north from Madrid to Burgos may yet re-open to traffic, eleven years on from a tunnel collapse at Somosierra which left a tamping machine half-buried in the rubble. It was the excuse the Spanish railway authorities needed to close a line which they were already running down. The tamping machine, along with the stations and other infrastructure, was simply abandoned as retrieval was deemed uneconomic. The line includes several tunnels and viaducts and would make a wonderful addition to an already extensive greenway network, but the latest news suggests the line might be revived for the use of goods traffic. It lies in a region of sparse population, with the exception of the town of Aranda de Duero, while the new high-speed line has siphoned off the long-distance passenger traffic. (elDiario.es; RR)