Balearic environmental group GOB has called for the withdrawal of the current government project to extend the railway line from Sa Pobla to Alcudia and has demanded that a new project be drawn up that respects the territory and involves the participation of the public. On Monday, the environmental organisation submitted several objections to the regional government’s proposed railway line project, which is currently in the public consultation phase.
According to a statement issued by the GOB, the project on the table ‘is unsustainable, socially unjust and legally weak’. The environmentalists have criticised the fact that the document being worked on by the regional government, among other issues, has been processed ‘without giving a voice to residents, farmers or organisations’. To remedy this problem, they have proposed that the deadline for submitting objections be extended and that a ‘real’ participatory process be established.
They have also attacked the A1 and A2 route options, which they believe would have ‘a significant environmental, urban and heritage impact’. GOB has called for an alternative that follows the land reserve in the Road Plan, alongside the Ma-13, to minimise ‘territorial fragmentation’. If this is not done, they have warned, the “Marjal” of Sa Pobla, the orchards and the traditional irrigation systems ‘are under threat’. The ecologists have also warned of the ‘serious impact’ that drilling holes in the mountains of Son Fe and Sant Martí would have, both of which are of ‘exceptional’ value in terms of palaeontology, archaeology and hydrogeology.
Furthermore, the GOB has stated that the routes currently being considered could affect the S’Albufera Nature Park and flood-prone areas, in breach of several regulations and directives on preservation.
Furthermore, the environmental organisation considers that the project to extend the railway line to Alcudia is based on an “erroneous” model of mobility, as it ‘responds to tourism interests’ and not to the needs of residents.
The project, it added, does not guarantee fare or timetable integration with the TIB network, nor connections with trams, bicycles or park-and-ride facilities, which ‘condemns it to be inefficient and expensive. The train should be a tool for sustainable mobility and social cohesion, not an excuse to destroy land and favour private interests,’ concluded GOB.