The Minister of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, Raquel Sánchez, has announced progress on all sections of the high-speed line between Murcia and Almería, with the imminent definitive approval of the railway integration in Lorca, in the Region of Murcia. This milestone, together with the tender of the works to connect Almeria at high speed and renew its intermodal station for 196.7 million euros, after having agreed with the Junta de Andalucía and the City of Almeria the signing of the agreement for railway integration in the city, allows to advance at cruising speed to, in 2026, connect by train both provinces for the first time in history.
“The arrival of high speed in this city is getting closer and closer”, said the head of Mitma during the opening ceremony of the restoration of the Platform of Access of the Loading of mineral “El Alquife”, Phase II, known as the “English Cable”, in Almería. The cost of the works exceeds 2.5 million euros, of which Mitma has contributed the majority, about 2.2 million euros, within the framework of the 1.5% Cultural program, and the Port Authority, dependent on State Ports, the rest.
The inauguration ceremony was also attended by the Secretary General of Urban Agenda and Housing, Iñaqui Carnicero, and the President of State Ports, Álvaro Rodríguez Dapena, and the Government delegate in Andalusia, Pedro Fernández, and the President of the Junta de Andalucía, Juan Manuel Moreno, among other authorities.
High speed boost to Almeria
In her speech, the minister also explained that the integration project mentioned last week, included in phase 2, will link the capital of Almeria with high speed through a tunnel of almost 2 kilometers, which will guarantee integration and urban permeability, gaining space for citizens, and to turn the station into an intermodal node.
In this same context of commitment to the infrastructure of the region, the minister referred to the recent award of the contract for the drafting of the project for the construction of the new Vera-Almanzor High Speed Station. “Project by project, work by work, we advance in the construction of this high-speed line, strategic for the Mediterranean Corridor, in which we are going to invest about 3.5 billion euros,” said Raquel Sánchez.
Regarding the development of the Corridor, the owner of Mitma has pointed out that, since 2008, the year in which it began its construction, about 605 kilometers have been put into service, 254 kilometers of which have entered into operation in the last 4 and a half years. With the scheduled commissioning for the coming months, the 327 operational kilometers will be reached.
Thus, the minister has defended that Almería “is the tangible and evident proof” of the commitment to the Mediterranean Corridor. “Almeria will be one of the great beneficiaries thanks to the ambitious investment package that will allow us to complete the metamorphosis of the city and promote the transformation of the mobility of the province, bringing the AVE to the province and the capital and connecting it with France and Europe in 2026,” he said.
English Cable Inauguration
In the opening ceremony of the English Cable, Raquel Sánchez highlighted its value as an architectural element related to a port of general interest of the State and industrial exploitation, which is a prominent example of the mining activity carried out in the province. It is a paradigm of Spanish industrial architecture of the 20th century and was inaugurated by King Alfonso XIII in 1904.
In this second phase of rehabilitation of the English cable, actions have been carried out such as the restoration of the metallic structure of the access platform; the conservation treatment of the stone factory; the enhancement of the upper platform turning it into a pedestrian promenade, equipped with an iroko wood pavement, safety and protection railings and lighting system; and the maintenance of the existing movable goods, constituted by the railway rails. The works, in addition to their conservation and rehabilitation, also respond to their openness to the public visit.
“For 70 years, it was used as a pier and now, more than half a century after the cessation of the activity for which it was designed, we have recovered it to return it to the citizens for its use and enjoyment,” said the minister before recalling that, with actions such as this, the Ministry fulfills the constitutional obligation to protect and enrich our Historical Heritage.
“Preserving this rich past is the best way we have to guarantee future generations the enjoyment of what was left to us and to project ourselves into the future,” said Raquel Sánchez.
In the case of Almería, 12.6 million has been allocated for this purpose, of which Mitma has financed almost 70%. Among the actions financed with 1.5% cultural in the province is the rehabilitation of the facades and the lobby of the historic railway station; the rehabilitation bell tower of the cathedral of La Encarnación, or that of the provincial hospital. “Cultural heritage helps define the sense of identity of a people, makes it part of their history and is a source of social cohesion and collective pride,” the minister concluded.