The citizens of the city of Tudela, Navarre had planned a direct railway to Madrid in 1845, but this was not built.

However the railway struggled to cover costs and declared bankrupt in 1866.

[1] Beyer, Peacock & Company built forty-one 2-4-0 steam locomotives for the railway in 1861 and 1862, followed by eight 4-4-0 tank engines.

One of the later tank engines is preserved outside Bilbao Abando railway station.

The line also serves as the only rail link from Bilbao to Madrid and the rest of the Spanish mainline network.