Malaga gets little more than studies and meetings as almost 1.2 billion euros earmarked for infrastructure projects in Catalonia

The Spanish government has approved a cash injection of up to 1.2 billion euros for infrastructure works in Catalonia, meanwhile only feasibility studies and meetings have been planned for Malaga as the province continues to tackle its transport woes and pleads for an extension to its coastal railway line.

This is the scenario that has once again raised the anger of the Partido Popular, which considers it "scandalous" that the cabinet approved this amount for infrastructure in Catalonia while "ignoring" the needs of Malaga province.

The ministry of transport has a couple projects under way in the province for the renovation of the Bobadilla-Algeciras railway line and for the widening of the MA-20 (which will cost 190 million euros but still without a start date for the work). Otherwise, it is all studies and meetings: It has recently awarded a study of alternatives to improve traffic in the eastern area, with a budget of 487,412 euros and a completion period of 12 months, with Ayesa to carry it out. And in November, the first of the meetings for the coastal train will take place.

Meanwhile, in Catalonia, up to 710 million euros have been announced to reinforce the connectivity of the AP-2 and AP-7; to improve the Pyrenean Axis and the Ronda Nord ring road, and another 468 million (only until 2026) to improve the Rodalies (commuter) train network in Lérida, among others.

Partido Popular president in Malaga Patricia Navarro said it was "absolutely shameful and scandalous" that Pedro Sánchez's government "continues to shower Catalonia with billions while it ignores and delays the response to the great mobility needs" of Malaga province.

On Tuesday 8 October, the government cabinet approved almost 1.2 billion euros for infrastructure investment in Catalonia, while "in the province of Malaga, day after day the people of Malaga suffer breakdowns, delays or traffic jams without the government doing anything at all". "It is not acceptable that Malaga, which is growing by more than 20,000 new residents every year, which is in permanent growth in business fabric, in number of registrations in the social security, which demonstrates an economic growth that impacts the density of traffic, is demanding investments and projects to improve mobility in the short, medium and long term and the answer is working tables instead of investments."

Meanwhile, provincial authority president and Rincón de la Victoria mayor Francis Salado said: "I hope that in the first technical meeting convened by the government to address with the other institutions the problems of mobility in Malaga, the ministry of transport comes with facts and not just words, with commitments such as these of immediate investments and works".

Navarro said she wondered what explanation the minister of transport, Óscar Puente, and the Socialists of Malaga can give "to the thousands of people in Malaga who suffer traffic jams every morning, who are condemned to be last in line for these investments since Pedro Sánchez has been president, while other regions such as Catalonia are rewarded with these investments in exchange for the support that the nationalist parties have to give him in order to stay in power".

"Malaga does not deserve this treatment and the people of Malaga deserve an explanation for this growing grievance that increasingly separates us more from other areas of Spain with which we could be competing on equal opportunities; we do not do so because this equality is being taken away by Pedro Sánchez with examples such as these investments that he is going to dedicate to Catalonia and not to Malaga or Andalucía," Navarro said.

She criticised prime minister Sánchez for "not having lifted a finger in these six years to improve the infrastructure of the province of Malaga despite leading the population growth in Spain", and said the Socialists in Malaga "must say whether it intends to do or say something to defend the interests of the people of Malaga". "We will continue to raise our voices because it is not acceptable that the people of Malaga suffer the collapse of the roads and the breakdowns of the local trains while in other regions billions are invested to satisfy the pro-independence partners," Navarro added.

It was not until last July that the ministry of transport sat down with local mayors and the Junta de Andalucía to make progress on transport solutions, "which are still being delayed as the first scheduled working meeting will not take place until 28 November".

Navarro called on the Spanish government to come to the meeting "with clear solutions and measures for imminent implementation", as otherwise "it will show that it has no political will to improve mobility in the province and in the Andalusian Mediterranean axis". "We only hope that this meeting is not to silence us because they are not going to succeed. We will continue to defend immediate measures because our needs are urgent and beyond studies we have to act to solve the current mobility problems, knowing that the train from the coast will take longer to arrive," Navarro added.