Costa Blanca rail link: more promises than action

Despite official promises that the project is “advancing” the Costa Train remains on a siding.

Marina Alta mayors recently met Rafael Catala, junior minister for Infrastructure and Transport, for news of the proposed coastal rail link between Alicante and Valencia.

The present network is a legacy from the days when the coastal strip took second place to the industrialised interior.

It is still necessary to leave the coast in an inland loop when travelling between both cities, an impractical option now that rail travel is newly popular thanks to the AVE.

“We have taken a step forward,” pronounced Catala, who is second in command to Ana Pastor at the ministry of Public Works.

A budget of €460,000 has this year been allocated to cover the cost of the feasibility study that must be carried out before further decisions are made, Catala said.

The project is still at the preparatory stage, he admitted.

Mayors of all political persuasions were disappointed on emerging from the meeting.  They had expected more than they received, sources revealed.

The Marina Alta remained “isolated” and the only date that Catala was prepared to mention was late 2015 for the feasibility report, they complained.