A "small but very necessary" work, with a modest budget compared to those used for large railway infrastructures, but with great effectiveness to reduce some pressure on one of the most saturated Commuter lines. The Minister of Transport, Raquel Sánchez, and the Minister of Territories, Juli Fernàndez, made official yesterday, on the last day allowed by the electoral regulations, the start of work on the extension of the platforms at Arc de Triumph of Barcelona.
The works barely reach 2.89 million euros, but once finished they will allow the two platforms of the Arc de Triomf station, one of the most central in Barcelona, to have 200 meters, instead of the 170 current. With this long-awaited simple solution, trains will be able to run in double composition and carry more passengers or give those currently traveling more space.
Currently, the Arc de Triomf station is the most similar to a bottleneck in the Rodalies system and limits its capacity. The solution that is now starting to be implemented was already considered in 2008, but it has taken 15 years for it to begin to act, with the forecast that it will be operational in 2024. The works have a deadline of ten months, although the platforms should already be extended in seven months if the calendar is taken into account. This extension will also involve the current lifts and stairs and will allow more light to enter the platforms.
The state, autonomous and local authorities did not miss the opportunity to appear in public at this start of works. In the lobby of the station, Minister Raquel Sánchez, Councilor Juli Fernàndez and the third deputy mayor of Barcelona, the socialist Laia Bonet, took the floor, who were accompanied by other authorities such as the new delegate of the Spanish Government in Catalonia, Carlos Prieto; the president of Renfe, Raúl Blanco, and the coordinator of the Neighborhood Plan, Pere Macias.
Sánchez highlighted the investment effort of the Government of Pedro Sánchez in the Rodalies network and assured that more than 1,000 million euros have already been executed, almost 30% of the 3,460 million planned until 2025, while the awards have exceeded 2,200 million euros.
Regarding the eternal claim that there is a "full" transfer of the service, the minister replied that, "to those who continue to pay for the grievance, the facts are the best evidence that investments are being made". That is why he demanded that the Generalitat already close the program contract with Renfe to secure the operator's investments before going on to discuss the terms of an eventual economic transfer of the tariff deficit, the difference between the cost of the service and the collected through the sale of tickets. For his part, the Minister of Territory insisted on the will of the Generalitat to have a "comprehensive railway system" very soon. Regarding the specific action at the Arc de Triomf, Juli Fernández recalled the delay with which it has been carried out: "It is good news that after 15 years this can allow an increase in capacity through the improvement of the infrastructure" . Meanwhile, Laia Bonet described the work as "fundamental" for Barcelona, despite being a "surgical operation" that must be carried out with "a lot of care".
This action should allow, according to the estimates referred to by the Barcelona councilor, annual validations at the Arc de Triomf metro stop to reach five million.
