Frances Leate
THE defunct tram line between Velez-Malaga and Torre del Mar could be reinstated if the town hall can agree on a financial agreement with the Junta.
It comes after the Junta announced that an in-depth study is being undertaken to decide if it is financially viable to bring back the controversial tram.
While pointing out that it is not in the Junta’s remit, delegate for Malaga Jose Luiz Ruiz confirmed that they would try to find out ‘if it was viable’ for the area.
The €40 million service was axed in June last year after just six years in operation because transport bosses ruled it was not economically viable.
The tram, which left the town hall in €2.5 million of debt, could now return but only if state funding is forthcoming.
It is hoped the tram can be part funded by the local and regional government.
The study, which will assess the transportation needs of the town’s 50,000 occupants, is due to take place this month.
The tram line, which opened at the end of 2006, ran from the town centre to Torre del Mar beach.
The tram cost €1 million a year to run and after its closure the town mayor said the money would be invested in the bus service instead.
I can’t see how it can be economically viable, whenever I saw it there were hardly any passengers and the new bus service that has been introduced since the tram closed down is better and cheaper. Pity the coastal railway between Malaga and Torre Del Mar was ripped up, a railway that joined up with the tram service might generate enough passenger numbers.
A tram from nowhereville1 to nowhereville2 is doomed to failure. If the tram had actually linked to Malaga then it would have been a success. Alas, Spanish business acumen is non-existant, and now the trams will benefit Australians while all the tram infrastructure (that cost millions, such as lines, signals and buildings etc) all slowly rots away. And we wonder why Spain is bankrupt.
This seems just odd. Having invested dozens of millions of euros to a now-defunct tram system just doesn’t make sense. In all the civilized cities they use the existing tramway infrastructure even if it would make a deficit.
Running buses when you already got existing rails and trams just can’t be cheaper than running trams, except if your tram system is built completely wrong from the very beginning.