Andalusian regional government will take central government to court if work on Malaga's high-speed rail does not finish by Easter Week
Regional minister of economy Carolina España has announced that they are considering claiming financial responsibility for the losses for Malaga province
The Andalusian regional government (Junta) will take the Spanish government to court if it doesn't complete the repairs of the high-speed rail in Álora and reopen the line in Malaga province by the start of Easter Week (29 March).
"If the railway connection with Madrid is not fully open by Easter, the Junta will use all legal resources at its disposal to compensate for the damages suffered by the people of Malaga and Andalucía," regional minister of economy Carolina España said during the meeting organised by SUR on Friday morning.
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España highlighted that Malaga province's businesses and residents are losing millions of euros due to the loss of passengers and tourists who use the train.
She warned that the Junta has already consulted with some lawyers and is considering claiming financial responsibility from the government in court.
The allegations that the government is prioritising Catalonia over Andalucía marked España's speech, who said that the Catalan short-distance train service (Rodalíes) will receive 6.3 billion euros from the government. At the same time, Malaga has been "without high-speed trains for two months", first because of the tragic accident in Adamuz (Cordoba) and then because of the succession of storms.
España accused the government's representatives of providing no information about the high-speed rail, which is "vital" for Malaga province's position on the tourist map ahead of the high season.
The regional minister also described the treatment of Malaga province by the central government as one marked by "investment drought". According to her, the state is keeping "vital" projects pending.
She gave the coastal train, the Cerro Blanco dam, the short-distance rail, the northern access to the airport, the collapse of the A-7 motorway, the lack of funding for works such as the roof of the Cathedral and the music auditorium as examples.
According to España, the central government neglects not only the province but also the whole region of Andalucía, which receives less than 1.53 billion euros per year - a sum the regional minister describes as constituting "underfunding". This compromises roads, industrial parks and the proliferation of local businesses.
