Paul WhitelockAfter years of waiting, it was announced this week that the proposed high speed rail link between Antequera and Ronda is to go ahead. The proposals are now out to public consultation.
THE AVE is coming to Ronda. This means significantly reduced journey times to Madrid, Granada, Cordoba, Málaga and beyond. The project also includes completing the upgrade of the line from Ronda down to Algeciras to allow for the faster trains.
The announcement was made on Friday, 4 November, via a BOE, Boletín Oficial del Estado. According to this document there will be 64.4 kms. of double track electrified line of the European gauge between the existing AVE-station at Antequera-Santa Ana and La Indiana, the old station on the outskirts of Ronda where the new AVE station for Ronda will be built.
The project has a budget of 711.47 million euros and will follow the route of the current single track line between Bobadilla and Ronda. However, according to the website ferropedia.es the line will take a direct route from Setenil de las Bodegas to La Indiana, cutting out the S-loop which takes in Arriate and Ronda, and will cut through virgin countryside.
The proposals are now out to public consultation and the plans can be viewed at the Town Halls in Antequera, Campillos, Teba, Cañete la Real, Almargen, Ronda, Arriate, Olvera, Alcalá y Setenil de las Bodegas, as well as in Málaga City, Cádiz and Madrid.
I understand from an unnamed source that work will not commence until 2014. So peace and quiet for three more years before more new sounds are added to the local cacophony where we live.
However, ignoring any NIMBY tendencies, a high speed rail link from Ronda into the rest of the AVE-network can only be a good thing for the area. With journey times to major cities cut dramatically, it can only improve the economic prospects of the area, both in terms of tourism and commerce.
Real estate values in the area around La Indiana are likely to rocket as people realise it’s possible to commute from the rural idyll that is the Serranía de Ronda to Madrid and the other major cities to the north.
Despite this, however, I shall be visiting the Council Offices this week to check on the proposals.
Further reading:
BOE-B-2011-35706 – the Official Bulletin announcement (Spanish)
ferropedia.es – article in Spanish with maps
es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrocarril_Bobadilla-Algeciras – Wikipedia’s take on the matter (Spanish)
Not sure about the house prices in the effected areas whilst the construction goes on. It’ll be mayhem for years, just like it was for people living close to the AVE line which went from Bobadilla to Malaga through areas around Alora. And as for anyone who’s property gets compulsory purchased, they need all our best wishes. Good friends ended up leaving Spain because of their experience, and they left with next to nothing!
It will be good for the local economy … in the meantime, there’ll be trucks everywhere breaking all the existing roads, hormigon factories blotting the landscape, destruction of beautiful countryside and natural habitats, and a devastating effect on tourism. Sorry, but that’s the reality when this kind of infrastructure comes to town!
Hi, Anna. Since I wrote my piece I’ve had several discussions with people and done some further research. As a result of all that I suspect you probably have a very good point. I was looking at it more from the point of view of the eventual benefits. I hope it’s not as much doom and gloom as you predict.
Having now consulted the Estudio Informativo, which is available for public consultation in town halls along the route, it is clear that La Indiana will NOT become the new AVE station for Ronda as anticipated. The route will go direct into Ronda station along the existing line, which will be upgraded and electrified.