Railway development working group formed for Canary Islands
Spanish Transport Minister Oscar Puente has reached an agreement with the Canary Islands government to establish a technical working group to advance the development of a railway network in Gran Canaria and Tenerife.
The group will comprise representatives from the Ministry and the councils of both islands, with its initial objective being to work on the specifics of the projects for the deployment of railway infrastructure and service, as well as to analyse their viability. Puente committed to studying the Canary Islands’ initiative following a meeting today in Madrid with Pablo Rodríguez, the Minister of Public Works, Housing, and Mobility of the Canary Islands, along with Antonio Morales, the President of the Gran Canaria Council, and Rosa Dávila, the President of the Tenerife Council.
During the meeting, which also included the participation of Secretary of State José Antonio Santano, the Canary Islands representatives outlined to the minister the railway projects aimed at connecting the capitals of Gran Canaria and Tenerife with their respective airports, thus promoting sustainable mobility within their jurisdictions. This aligns with the Ministry’s commitment to prioritising transport decarbonization.
“Canarias face mobility challenges, and we believe that railways can effectively contribute to transport decarbonization and provide better service to citizens. Now, we need to determine how we can collaborate, and for that reason, we have decided to create a working group, which in the case of the Ministry will be led by the railway sector sub-directorate,” explained the Secretary of State in the meeting.
Investment in the Canary Islands
The Ministry maintains a strong commitment to the development of infrastructure and transportation in the Canary Islands. Notably, it has allocated nearly 1.124 billion euros to the deployment and improvement of its road network since 2018, including the reconstruction of the road from La Palma between Puerto Naos and Tazacote, following its burial by volcanic eruption. In 2023 alone, 377.3 million euros was disbursed for road infrastructure.
The Ministry has been investing in facilitating connections both with the mainland and among the islands of the archipelago, as well as urban journeys. In 2023, 909.8 million euros were allocated to financing passenger and freight transport in the Canary Islands. A record 618 million euros were also spent subsidising air tickets between the Canary Islands and the mainland. Moreover, the Ministry finances 81 million euros annually for the free use of urban and metropolitan public transport by regular users, a measure that was in effect in 2023 and has been extended to 2024.
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