Local and regional politicians slam central government's Malaga delegate for ignoring Costa del Sol train issue

Partido Popular politicians at regional, provincial and local Costa del Sol town levels have slammed the deputy delegate of Spain's PSOE national government in Malaga province, Javier Salas, for ignoring pleas to extend the coastal rail service that currently runs between Malaga city and Fuengirola onwards to Marbella and Estepona.

The Junta de Andalucía, Diputación provincial authority and various mayors of Costa del Sol towns criticised Salas after he said in an interview with SUR that "if they (PP) are so interested in the coastal train, the Junta should do it".

Patricia Navarro, delegate of the Andalusian regional government and president of the Partido Popular party in Malaga, accused Salas of spending the day "throwing his weight around and avoiding his responsibilities". "Central government tells us to do more with less funding," she said. "Madrid is letting the railway transport system in Malaga province die little by little," Navarro added.

Navarro pointed out the Junta will "continue to give its all" for Malaga province with projects such as the new Hospital Civil, extension of the metro, and improvement of health centres and to planned water infrastructures. "Has the sub-delegate asked himself what legacy he will leave after the years he has been in charge of the sub-delegation? What is going to be his legacy for Malaga after having had such an important responsibility? Because if the few responsibilities he has are also passed on to the Junta, he is doing a disservice to the province and to himself," Navarro said.

Malaga's provincial authority president Francisco Salado accused Salas of betraying Malaga. "If he were a sub-delegate of the government in Barcelona or in any Catalan province, he would not be distributing government responsibilities to the other administrations. Perhaps the opposite," he said.

Malaga city mayor Francisco de la Torre also hit out at Salas, while Torremolinos mayor Margarita del Cid said: "I am convinced that the PSOE must have people who are more committed to their province and the problems of the people of Malaga".

Her counterpart in Estepona, José María García Urbano, said the government "cannot give up studying and developing a feasible project" that would allow connectivity from Malaga to Algecira, while Fuengirola mayor Ana Mula described it as "nonsense and disrespectful".

'Political game'

From the Malaga Infrastructure Platform, the public works engineer Vicente Jordá said Salas' statements are "in the political game of the parties" and proves the coastal train "is not a priority".

Jordá told SUR when the parties are clashing the issue of building the coastal train service is "whipped up" to score political points. The extension of the railway should be "a commitment of all the administrations: starting with the municipalities and ending with the ministry or starting with the ministry and ending with the municipalities", he added.