Granada does not enter into ADIF’s action plans for the coming months. The planning of railway actions of the Ministry of Transport for this province -and this area of Andalusia- does not foresee new awards in the Loja Variant. Nor is any significant improvement expected in the double track sections between Loja and Granada.
The only good rail news is that Renfe is studying the introduction of the second AVE to Madrid from the second half of October; and begins to prepare, without a start date, a connection with Malaga.
Sources close to ADIF, the state railway company, confirm to Radio Granada that this province is out of any outstanding direct execution plan for next year. For now, there are no actions planned to start executing actions related to the burial from the train at its entrance to the city of Granada; Y no action is foreseen in 2022 to incorporate the third rail between Granada and Almería.
ADIF does plan to advance in the arrival of the AVE from Murcia to Almería, but with a single route from the border with Andalusia, from Pulpí. Radio Granada requested in writing ADIF more than a week ago information on these matters and the response has not been produced.
After the news was broadcast, official company sources have provided information about the AVE to Almería. ADIF clarifies that in some sections between the border with Murcia and the capital of Almería there will be a double track. Therefore, the double track will not be continuous between Murcia and Almería. Of 101.9 km between Pulpí and Almería, 56.3 km will be single track platform and 45.6 km double track.
The only certain thing is that the Mediterranean Corridor with characteristics of double track and international gauge is cut in Murcia and the Ministry once again sets Andalusia aside, as has happened in the last 150 years.
Nothing is known about the study for the adaptation of the Granada-Moreda-Almería section, although some ADIF sources assure that it could be known this autumn. But that doesn’t mean there are short-term investments. There is no investment to be awarded, as confirmed by sources in the technical field of ADIF.
At those decision levels of the company there is also no news that Granada will be able to have a real AVE, since the Loja Variant, as of today, is not budgeted for new nearby adjudications. A bridge is being built, but afterwards, the road will be dead due to lack of continuity.
The only news of the next few months is that The gauge interchange at the entrance to Granada via the Moreda road will come into operation at the end of the year, or the beginning of the 22, at the height of Cerrillo de Maracena.
This will mean that conventional gauge trains from Almería enter the AVE track in Granada and can continue on the high-speed route. This advance has a derivative: the possible abandonment that the conventional road between Moreda and Linares will suffer. Among ADIF’s short-term plans, by the way, the same sources indicate, Nor is there any work for the effective recovery for its use of the conventional road between Bobadilla and Granada.
To this abandonment of ADIF is added that of Renfe, although the management plans slight movements in the short term. In the transport company, There are no plans to recover the fourth AVANT with Seville or the complete connections (three AVE to Madrid before the pandemic) with the Spanish capital. At most, Renfe is already studying whether it is possible to start the second train to Madrid in mid-October.
What’s more, Nothing is known about the high-speed connection between Granada and Malaga, although Renfe management is beginning to plan, at least, the possibility of launching one of the three planned AVANTs. So far, the excuse is that the works on the Antequera urban station have not yet finished, which has already accumulated a delay of almost two years. At this time of tourist recovery, this connection would be a vital boost for the sector. Today, the talk of preparing one of the Malaga-Granada trains with no date is just beginning.
Today, Granada has three trains to Almería; an AVE to Barcelona, a AVE to Madrid (and a second connection only Friday and Sunday) and three AVANT in Seville.
‘Reverse this in Budgets’
The president of the Granada Provincial Council has assured on this station that Renfe has confirmed that there will be a second AVE to Madrid in a few weeks. José Entrena assures that the lack of railway investments is bad news for this province, something that will be determined to reverse.
The also provincial secretary of the PSOE, interviewed in ‘Hoy por Hoy Granada’, has assured that the pact for the railroad that he himself promoted and that was signed unanimously at the beginning of summer, It gives him the strength to reverse the absence of plans and work so that the State Budgets for next year contemplate real investment items.
On the channels of Rules and the protest of the Platform for the Infrastructures this Wednesday in Madrid, the president of the Provincial Council has revealed that the PSOE offered its president to meet in Congress with the Environment and Agriculture commissions; and he rejected it.
Entrena has made a harsh self-criticism about the conduction of Rules. Has admitted that in 18 years neither the previous governments of the PSOE nor those of the PP have done anything in the matter; and the matter is now in full drafting of projects thanks to the current government.
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