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Date Published: 01/05/2025

Ancient remains unearthed during Lorca AVE construction

The AVE high-speed train line will eventually connect the Region of Murcia with Almeria

Work on the AVE high-speed rail line in Lorca, which will provide a much-needed connection between Murcia and Andalucía when it’s finished, has led to a surprising and potentially significant archaeological find.

While upgrading the old San Diego railway station as part of a project to integrate the underground railway into the city, ADIF construction crews stumbled upon stone foundations and human remains, and immediately called in the experts. The site is now being investigated by two separate archaeological teams working side by side.

What they’ve discovered is astonishing. On the ground, stone walls outline small rooms around four square metres in size. Some sections are now covered with protective plastic and local residents have reported seeing what appear to be human bones, carefully placed in labelled bags for further study.

While the archaeologists at the site are not permitted to speak publicly, sources close to ADIF (Spain’s railway infrastructure authority) have confirmed that the dig is being overseen by anthropologists from the University of Granada, along with ADIF’s own archaeological team, experts from the Murcia regional government and technicians from the Lorca City Council.

At this stage, the excavation is still in its early phase and there are no conclusions yet about the age, origin or historical value of the remains.

This isn’t the first time Lorca’s soil has revealed hidden history. Back in 2010, work on the Mediterranean High-Speed Corridor near La Hoya uncovered Roman ruins estimated to be around 1,800 years old, including parts of hydraulic systems and thermal baths. Archaeologists noted that the site was close to the ancient Via Augusta, a major Roman road connecting Cartagena to Andalucía.

There have also been past discoveries of remains during construction of the A-7 motorway, though in that case, the findings were not deemed archaeologically significant.

For more local information, news and what’s on visit the home page of Lorca Today

Image: Ayuntamiento de Lorca

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