Date Published: 06/06/2024
Massive 42-million-euro investment agreed for Murcia and Cartagena high-speed train lines
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887,368 euros have been destined for the project to bring high-speed railway connections to Cartagena
A new investment package will plunge millions more into improving the high-speed rail connections in the
Region of Murcia, but only a fraction of this will be destined for Cartagena, with the lion’s share going towards the AVE in
Murcia city.
The Regional Government of Murcia, at the proposal of the Regional Ministry of Public Works and Infrastructures, has authorised the expenditure of 41,600,000 euros towards work by Murcia Alta Velocidad, S.A., signed together with the public business entity ADIF-Alta Velocidad and the City Council of Murcia.
This contribution for the year 2024 aims to finance the works of building and burying underground the high-speed railway infrastructure in the city of Murcia. The total amount to be paid by the three aforementioned entities for this year, according to their participation in the company Murcia Alta Velocidad S.A., amounts to 160 million euros, of which ADIF Alta Velocidad will put in 105.6 million euros and Murcia City Council will put in 12.8 million euros.
In addition, the Regional Government will contribute 887,368 euros for the high-speed integration project in Cartagena through the company Cartagena Alta Velocidad, in which it participates together with ADIF and the City Council of Cartagena. This expenditure does not require the approval of the Governing Council as it does not exceed the maximum limit available to the ministries.
The shareholders of the company Cartagena Alta Velocidad are ADIF-Alta Velocidad, ADIF, the Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia and the City Council of Cartagena.
This investment in the project to bring high-speed AVE trains to Cartagena comes after the Mayor of Cartagena, Noelia Arroyo, complained last month of delays in major infrastructure projects that would benefit the city, including connecting it to the AVE network and the Mediterranean corridor.
While the latest investment in the Cartagena AVE project is certainly a step forward, the port city will be unlikely to receive a direct high-speed rail connection to Murcia and consequently other parts of Spain until at least 2032, according to Professor at the UPCT and principal investigator of the R+D Group on Territorial Policy, Environmental Planning and Infrastructures Salvador García-Ayllón.
Image: Renfe
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