The parliamentary groups of Vox and the PP have censured this Thursday the PSOE's promises to provide the towns of Tomelloso and Argamasilla de Alba in Ciudad Real with a railway connection, while the socialists have reproached both parties for their vote against an initiative in the last Debate on the State of the Region (DER) that precisely called for that link.
The Vox deputy Luis Blázquez has stressed that what is being claimed in Tomelloso and Argamasilla de Alba "is not a privilege but equality," since "it is very difficult to explain that one of the main economic regions and one of the main populations of Castilla-La Mancha continues in the 21st century outside the national railway network."
In his opinion, the problem is not limited to the lack of infrastructure, but rather responds to "political abandonment" and "decades of unfulfilled promises." He has emphasized that "some will try to present themselves as promoters of this initiative and others will try to give lessons of commitment, but the reality is very different" because PP and PSOE "have been governing in Spain and in Castilla-La Mancha for the last 40 years and have not carried out this project."
Blázquez has insisted that "Vox will not participate in this game of promising and not doing" and that his party has come to Parliament to defend "a real commitment to useful infrastructure for this region and for the whole of Spain." As he has defended, Vox is committed to facilities that allow "to develop our land" and "to align the whole of Spain, to structure the whole of Spain."
In this context, he recalled that Vox has registered in the Congress of Deputies a proposal for the railway integration of Tomelloso and Argamasilla de Alba between the lines of Andalusia and Levante. The plan includes a route of about 46 kilometers of double track, with a railway 'bypass' between Cinco Casas and Socuéllamos that would link the lines of Andalusia and Levante.
Therefore, Vox's resolution, ultimately rejected, called for a "certain, verifiable, and public" timetable to execute this infrastructure, a "real" budgetary commitment from the Government of Spain, "effective coordination" between the State, the regional government, and local administrations, and that this demand "cease to be used every four years."
PP demands an in-depth study
The PP parliamentarian Ignacio Redondo has pointed out that his group does not intend "a line to be drawn" on the map, but rather that the inclusion of Tomelloso and Argamasilla de Alba in the state railway planning be "seriously" analyzed and that it cease to be a mere campaign promise, "which is what the PSOE has us very accustomed to".
He admitted that the main responsibility lies with the central government, but warned that "just because it is not a direct responsibility of the Junta does not mean that the Junta can or should stand idly by." In this regard, he has asked the regional Executive to promote studies, reserve land, coordinate with the town councils, explore European funding, and demand from the Ministry "what Castilla-La Mancha deserves" without accepting "the use of buses" as a solution, which, he said, is what the Government of Spain offers.
Redondo has emphasized that "here probably lies the biggest difference between our proposal and the resolution that the PSOE presents today." As he explained, the 'popular' party demands to act "with urgency, not in a few years, nor when another report appears, nor when elections approach" and details what the Junta can do now, compared to a PSOE that, in his opinion, "tries to install the idea that everything depends on Madrid and that no one here can do anything, and that is simply not true."
He has criticized that the regional government has been "eleven years" passing responsibilities and has considered it "striking" to hear the PSOE extol the economic potential and strategic relevance of the region when, he said, it has been "more than a decade" at the helm of Castilla-La Mancha "without lifting a single finger" within its competencies.
The PP's initiative, also rejected, urged the regional Executive to urgently ask the Government of Spain to incorporate the connection of Tomelloso and Argamasilla de Alba into the state railway planning through new infrastructure with passenger and freight stations, as well as the preparation of a regional study to evaluate potential demand, the effect on mobility, and opportunities for agri-food transport.
PSOE appeals for unity and recalls unfulfilled promises
On behalf of the PSOE, the deputy Francisco José Barato has initially defended the need for unity among the groups in the Cortes, recalling that the three --PSOE, PP, and Vox-- share the objective of the railway integration of Tomelloso and Argamasilla de Alba. Therefore, he has proposed agreeing on a joint resolution "based on unity".
That joint resolution proposed by the PSOE has not prospered as it did not have the support of PP and Vox. Barato has reproached the 'popular' party for having "brought up" the jurisdictional debate "in an attempt to deceive people" and has assured that "it is all well and good to come here to demand now from the regional government and the national government, but certainly their track record gives them little room to give lessons".
Along these lines, he has recalled the electoral promise of María Dolores de Cospedal in Tomelloso in 2011, when she assured that the town would have a railway connection. He has recalled that "Cospedal was regional president and Rajoy of the Government of Spain, and not only was the promise not fulfilled, but what the State ended up doing was approving a state infrastructure plan in which Tomelloso was left out of the planning".
Likewise, he has insisted that both PP and Vox "have already voted against the Tomelloso train in this same legislature". "They voted against a resolution that this socialist parliamentary group presented in the Debate on the State of the Region," he pointed out.
Consequently, the PSOE has pushed through its own resolution that urges the continuation of the necessary studies and actions to define, plan, and project the railway integration in the region. The text acknowledges the need for active collaboration between the Government of Castilla-La Mancha and the Ministry of Transport to specify the viability and development of that future railway connection.