The Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, announced this Friday, in a new edition of Encuentros SER, that the decision has been made to extend the through tunnel, a railway infrastructure that is part of the Mediterranean Corridor, a little longer than planned and remove that infrastructure through Albuixech. A project that will be more expensive but will affect the orchard less, according to him, so it will be faster in terms of processing. In an interview with the director of Cadena Ser in the Valencian Community, Bernardo Guzmán, the minister defends that it is a "firm" commitment of the Ministry to build this infrastructure as quickly as possible.
The minister has assured that the Ministry is "fully aware" of the importance of the Mediterranean Corridor and the through tunnel is very important to guarantee the transit of goods from north to south without having to stop upon arrival in Valencia, where right now A collapse occurs because the network does not have sufficient capacity. Puente trusts that this decision to slightly lengthen the tunnel to Albuixech will be the "most operational."
Puente has also announced that before the end of 2024 the specifications will be ready to put out to tender the drafting of the València central station project. A plan that aims to bury the Cercanías and high-speed train tracks reaching the city center to build a new station just below where the current North Station is.
This is a plan that began to be considered years ago and that is now gaining new momentum, according to the minister, since before the end of this year the specifications will be ready to design the project, which will also be designed through an international competition. , similar to what has been done with the renovation of the Madrid Chamartín station.
The minister has also spoken about the possibility of burying the Serreria tunnel, in Valencia, to extend the mall to the sea, as demanded by the city's local government. He affirms that he is in favor of this project, but clarifies that, unlike the through tunnel, which is fundamental for the Mediterranean corridor, this is an urban planning operation, so the City Council and the Generalitat will have to finance part of the works. He announces that he will meet shortly with the mayor of Valencia, María José Catalá, and with the president Carlos Mazón, to address this matter.
In the edition of SER meetings held this Friday, the Minister of Transport insisted that the Government is committed to this project and to the improvement of the Cercanías network. A network that he admits has "very obsolete" trains, but he insists that the ministry is working to improve it. In fact, he assures that the problems that occur are due to the improvement works that are already underway, with an investment that he considers in the millions.
