The loss of 5.8 million euros in European funding by Adif has reactivated social mobilization on the Costa Daurada. The Platform for the Green Route of the Costa Daurada called for a walk on May 9 on the beach of Estany Gelat in Miami Platja to demand the immediate execution of the infrastructure.
The project contemplates the conditioning of 19.4 kilometers of the old railway line that connects the municipalities of Cambrils, Mont-roig del Camp and Vandellòs i L'Hospitalet de l'Infant. The initiative already accumulates a delay of more than two years compared to the deadlines initially planned for its implementation.
Adif seeks alternative financing after losing European funds
The confirmation that the managing body of railway infrastructure has lost the funds from the Recovery Plan forces the search for alternative ways to cover the budget. This circumstance does not annul the works contract already awarded to the company Acsa, but it introduces uncertainty about the execution schedule.
The three town councils involved confirm that the lease documents will be signed in the short term. The local administrations remain confident that Adif will execute the project without introducing substantial modifications to the original design.
Nuri Nolla and Salvador Matas, promoters of the neighborhood platform, harshly assessed the situation during the rally. Both leaders pointed out that they find themselves in the scenario they feared from the beginning of the claim process.
"We are exactly where we didn't want to be, the situation is worrying, we would have loved to be wrong" - Nuri Nolla, promoter of the Platform for the Via Verda of the Costa Daurada
The same spokespersons criticized the attitude of the involved city halls during the last few months. They accused the government teams of not having taken seriously the warnings about the project's viability.
"We thought that the city councils also did not believe our fears and that is why they did not push to hasten the start of the works, something that was in their hands by approving the lease agreements" - Salvador Matas, promoter of the Platform for the Via Verda of the Costa Daurada
Oliver Klein dismisses the blockade of the Cambrils stretch
The entity has requested by email from the town councils and Adif a detailed schedule of works and corrective measures given the new financial scenario. To date, they have only received a response from the mayor of Cambrils, Oliver Klein.
The councilman stated that he fully shares the consideration of the road as strategic infrastructure for the territory. Klein assured that the project is not blocked nor is it in danger, especially highlighting the safety of the section corresponding to Cambrils.
The platform has announced that it will maintain the mobilizations until the physical execution of the works begins. The organizers made it clear that their institutional pressure will not cease until they see machinery on the ground.
"We will not stop until the works begin," concluded the platform's spokespersons during the walk held in Miami Platja.