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On June 10, 2003, then Foreign Minister Promotion Francisco Alvarez-Cascos Construction of the Metrotrén tunnel through the underground soil begins GijonBy 2008, most of the structure was complete.
The 2008 crisis and the subsequent budget cuts completely cut off the financing of the project, leading to its realization. In addition, the metro trains depend on the development of another railway project: the new intermodal station, the construction of which was stopped until the early 2020s.
Currently, the intermodal terminal construction project is ongoing and the government is making some significant progress towards completing the project.
On a social level, the long wait created an atmosphere of anticipation for the building’s completion. In short, many doubted they would ever see it finished, and it was considered a “Pharaonic work” and a “bottomless money pit.”
This criticism came partly from the Asturian left wing. Although the slow and rough walk in the tunnel did not allow for a firm defense of the structure, the left wing position had to do so.
There are many reasons, and they all relate to the eco-social benefits that the structure provides.
First of all, the metro tunnel is simply an extension of the railway line used by the C-1 Sercanhas line. The train will not end in Sans Crespo but continue to the Cabuñes Hospital. Therefore, a large part of the population of Gijón will be close to the Sercanhas station, which can take them directly to Lugones, Oviedo, Mieres or La Pollarena.
With the opening of the metro, the city will be fully integrated into the Central Metropolitan Area of Asturias, where 80% of the region’s population lives. Given this, it would be a mistake to consider the tunnel as an exclusive project for the city, let alone to consider it as something close to the “Gijon Metro”, as if it were just a megalomaniacal fantasy of Francisco Álvarez Cascos.
We reiterate that Sercanhas will use the metro, which is probably the mode of public transport with the best social and ecological benefits, as well as being an excellent element of territorial structure and cohesion.
Refusing to expand Sercanhas will only produce a regional transportation model based on using the metropolitan area’s highway network, whether by bus or car.
The opening of the Pajares bypass marked the next step in investment: Sercanhas. The long journeys and general deficiencies of the Sercanhas service contrasted sharply with the bypass’s brand new tunnels and viaducts.
Adif is investing in the renovation of some Cercanías Asturies lines (especially the old FEVE ones). Renfe is waiting for the new Cercanías trains to be put into service (both conventional and old FEVE services). However, these improvements are a reform of the railway system, and Asturias needs a revolution, a substantial change in the railway paradigm. Again, the revolution can start with the implementation There are direct trains between Uviéu and Xixón, and the journey takes about 20 minutesthe duplication of tracks in the old FEVE network, the construction of the Villabona bypass and, of course, the opening of the metro tunnel.
The rhythm of metropolitan areas can no longer be determined by highways, but by rail, a popular, ecological form of public transport. Therefore, if the left puts the promotion of the eco-social benefits of rail on its agenda, it must no longer be afraid to talk about large, concrete actions, demand them and ensure their realization. Undoubtedly, building metro trains would be a good start towards a better future.
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