Renovation of Line 9 pledged

HEAD of the Generalitat’s Public Works department, Maria Jose Salvador, insisted that following “years of neglect by their predecessors, the current regional government is determined to modernise and upgrade the entire line.” Over the last year, the region’s rail operator FGV is reported to have spent 15 million euros on the single track railway. 

But, Salvador said, the Calpe-Denia section did not meet the standards and quality that FGV wanted for its Tram system.

Seven months of renovating and modernising the Altea to Calpe section finished at the end of May. This was to be followed in the autumn with a start on a sector by sector revamp of the Calpe to Denia line.  

Instead, FGV issued the shock announcement that the line would close for two years on safety grounds.

Some claim the work will actually take four years, while others believe the move will herald the definitive closure of the Calpe-Denia section. 

The pledge came during a meeting to discuss future Line 9 investment with FGV’s managing director, Angel Garcia de la Bandera, and the regional government’s Alicante delegate, Pilar Garcia Reche. Central to the discussion was the timeframe for the work required, which includes installing a signalling and safety system, and renovating viaducts, bridges, embankments and cuttings. The project should end in March 2019 at a cost of 40 million euros.