Towards the end of the 19th century, plans were put in place to connect Avilés with the Gijón-León railway line, with the objective of transporting coal to the port.

[1][2] In the decades that followed, Norte opened several sections that split off from the main line in Asturias.

[4] After the war, the company's financial situation was extremely poor and in 1941 the new Francoist regime nationalised all the Iberian gauge railways in Spain and incorporated them into the newly formed Renfe.

[5] After nationalisation, the Spanish government electrified the line in 1955 to transport goods more effectively, benefiting the steel company ENSIDESA.

[9] However, it was not until 1989 that this name became official, when Renfe created a division responsible for planning and organising these services.