Lorca remains without commuter and AVE trains after four years
There is still no concrete date for the arrival of the high-speed AVE in Lorca
On October 1, 2021, the rail service to Lorca was halted. At that time it was said that the Cercanías service would be restored within two years but four years later, Lorca is still without commuter trains, and there is no confirmed date for their return or for the arrival of the AVE high-speed train.
According to Lorca’s government spokesperson Rosa María Medina Mínguez, this means that “the municipality has lost its main connection with Murcia and Águilas, which has forced some 300,000 residents to take to the roads, which are permanently backed up.”
On the fourth anniversary of the train disruption, the councillor stressed the importance of making San Diego a temporary station for both AVE and Cercanías services while the underground works on the urban railway network and construction of the new Sutullena station are completed.
This would bring forward the arrival of the train by three years for more than 300,000 people in the Guadalentín Valley, but also in the Vélez and Almanzora regions, she added.
The rail line was the main route linking Lorca with Murcia and Águilas. The bus service meant to replace the commuter trains has a long route and takes much more time, so the only real alternative is by car. This has caused heavy congestion on the Mediterranean Highway, which is unable to deal with the pressure. Any problem on the A-7 leads to long queues.
There is no doubt that the works to bury the railway line are affecting all inhabitants of Lorca: traffic is disrupted, commerce suffers, schools, institutes, the university campus and workers all face difficulties.
Yet no firm date has been given for the restoration of the commuter service or the arrival of the AVE.
That is why the council is demanding that the forecasts promising that commuter services would resume in spring next year, and that the AVE would arrive then, be honoured.
She also highlighted the need to restore the rail connection with Almería and Granada.
The Lorca section is probably one of the most complex parts of the entire project because they must protect the Guadalentín River, bury the railway line, build a new underground station at Sutullena and take into account flood risks.
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Image: Ayuntamiento de Lorca
