The Partido Popular plans to mobilize more than 300,000 million euros in infrastructure over the next 15 years if Alberto Núñez Feijóo wins the elections and reaches Government.
According to sources from the PP who have advanced to DEMÓCRATA, one of its first priorities will be to renew the oldest roads and railways, strengthen preventive maintenance and analyze the more than 1,000 temporary speed limit limitations that the party has identified in the railway network. The plan also includes recovering the condition of the roads, with special attention to the most deteriorated sections and those with the highest accident rates, and enabling safe overtaking lanes where necessary.
The first action will focus on the railways, with special attention to the High-Speed corridor to Andalucía, where the planned interventions will begin to reduce breakdowns and delays. The conservatives also intend to recover the reliability of Cercanías and Rodalies, starting with the lines that accumulate the most incidents and cancellations, and to improve service for travelers.
The second major priority will be the roads. The PP will roll out a conservation program for more than 26,500 kilometers of the state network, starting with the most deteriorated sections and those that record the highest concentration of accidents. Among the planned measures, the enabling of safe overtaking lanes stands out where necessary, as well as the expansion of rest areas and safe parking for hauliers.
Behind these actions, the program places the modernization of key infrastructure of the conventional rail network, the improvement of its services, and the acceleration of pending sections of the Mediterranean, Atlantic and Ruta de la Plata corridors. The PP will also support the actions of the Trans-European Transport Network in Spain to strengthen connections between territories and with Europe.
A plan of 300,000 million with private participation
The investment commitment includes motorways and road networks, High-Speed, Cercanías and hydraulic and energy infrastructure. For its development, the conservatives expect to mobilize resources together with the private sector.
The document establishes that the security and preservation of infrastructures will have priority in the budgets. The PP commits to evaluating the efficiency of investments and their contribution to territorial cohesion, as well as to auditing the operation of existing networks.
Training also proposes correcting the inefficiencies that it attributes to the continued abandonment of recent years and meeting urgent needs with the greatest speed.
The AVE of Andalucía, first action, and new conditions to expand the network
The rail program sets as its objective to recover the reliability and punctuality of Spain’s High Speed. The interventions will begin with the corridor to Andalucía and will be progressively extended to the rest of the network, in accordance with the priorities that are determined.
The PP commits to continuing the works currently under execution, although it introduces a condition for the development of new connections: these will be carried out progressively, when the safety of the existing service is guaranteed.
In addition, future projects must include realistic schedules, secured financing, and an estimate of their subsequent conservation costs.
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Commuter Rail (Cercanías) and Rodalies: priority for the lines with the most incidents
The recovery of Cercanías and Rodalies will be addressed progressively, starting with the lines that concentrate the most breakdowns, delays, and cancellations.
The actions will include the renewal of tracks, trains, and equipment, with safety as the priority criterion, and the reinforcement of frequencies in accordance with demand.
In terms of attention to travelers, the program incorporates two specific commitments: approving an urgent assistance plan for passengers when a train is left stopped during the journey and making effective the compensation for delays.
Roads: safe overtaking lanes and more spaces for hauliers
Among the measures planned for the road network, the authorization of safe overtaking lanes at the points where they are needed stands out, an action that the PP expressly includes in its infrastructure program.
The interventions will be prioritized according to the condition of the roads and the concentration of accidents, so that the most deteriorated sections with the highest number of incidents will be the first to receive actions.
The document also includes the expansion of rest areas and secure parking for freight drivers, within the improvements planned for traffic on the state highways.
Mediterranean, Atlantic Corridors and the Route of the Silver Road
The latest block of rail actions includes the modernization of the strategic infrastructure of the conventional network and the improvement of its services.
The PP is committed to accelerating the pending sections of the Mediterranean, Atlantic and Route of the Silver Road corridors, as well as supporting all actions of the Trans-European Transport Network in Spain.
These measures would be incorporated into the National Infrastructure Plan with the aim of strengthening connections between the different Spanish territories and with the rest of Europe.