Alex Trelinski
METROVALENCIA tram services are expected to be full restored on December 6- the national Constitution Day bank holiday.
The regional government has budgeted €40 million to return things back to normal after the October 29 floods.
Work is being carried out between Valencia Sud and Torrent on tracks shared by Metrovalencia Lines 1, 2, and 7, as well as the section of Line 1 to Castello.
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Infrastructure Minister, Vicente Martinez Mus, said: “I hope that Valencians get a full service from Constitution Day and if that doesn’t happen, then it will certainly be before Christmas.”
20 temporary bus routes were established to link communities to ‘guarantee the mobility of citizens’.
“We have tracks, rolling stock and stations which are the biggest problems to solve and the ones that take the longest to solve after they were damaged by water as well as the Metrovalencia command centre,” said Martinez Mus.
The minister said the centre is being built completely from scratch due to the sheer extent of the flood damage at the Metrovalencia base in Valencia Sud- just 1,200 from the Poyo ravine which overflowed.
He added that €2 million has been allocated to restore the workshops which were totally destroyed.
Martinez Mus revealed that 30 trams had to be abandoned in flooded areas and had to be ‘completely reviewed’.
Other work includes a €5 million construction of a temporary railway bridge in Paiporta which is vital to the operating of three routes plus €2 million to restore Paiporta and Picanya stations.
An investment of €9 million has gone into replacing tram safety and communications along the entire section including Paiporta.
Money is also being spent on replacing technical equipment and spare parts for rolling stock.
“Our infrastructure restoration plan has taken a while, but in less than a month our aim to resume normal service will be a reality,” the minister added.
Martinez Mas also paid tribute to the cooperation the area got in quickly setting up a replacement bus service.
“We must remember that we have had to find vehicles and drivers practically from all over Spain, especially from the Community of Madrid, which has helped to provide the service.”
