The counselor of Agriculture, Water, Fishing, and Rural Development of the Junta de Andalucía, Ramón Fernández-Pacheco, urged this Monday the Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, to clarify when the high-speed train to Almería will be operational. In his opinion, if the AVE and the connection works with the Region of Murcia "are going as well as they say," the central government "should not have any problem" in specifying a schedule.
Fernández-Pacheco expressed this before journalists before the swearing-in ceremony of the new territorial delegates of the Junta in Almería, when questioned about the visit that Puente will make this Tuesday, accompanied by the Minister of the Presidency, Justice, and Relations with the Cortes, Félix Bolaños, to the works of the intermodal station in the capital.
As he emphasized, "it has been a long time since the Minister of Development publicly committed to the whole of the people of Almería." In his view, "the uncertainty that the Ministry subjects us to by denying us that date can translate into distrust; distrust about whether those advances they boast about are real or not."
Regarding the visit scheduled for this Tuesday, the counselor assured that the Junta will be "very attentive" and specified that the Andalusian Government will have the presence of the counselor of Development and Mobility, Mario Muñoz-Atanet, at the meeting to verify "if finally the people of Almería can answer that question that has been on everyone's mind for so long."
More than 40 million from the Junta
The Andalusian responsible for Agriculture has also claimed the role of the Junta and the City Council of Almería in the railway integration project, and has reproached the leaders of the PSOE for trying to "capitalize this action as if it were solely and exclusively of the Government of Spain."
"The integration of the AVE in the province of Almería is a collective success in which three public administrations participate, not just the Government of Spain," the counselor emphasized, who quantified the Junta's contribution at "more than 40 million euros" and stressed that the City Council of Almería "plays a fundamental role."
Fernández-Pacheco has pointed out that the neighbors of the capital are starting to "enjoy what it means to close the gap that has divided Almería for decades" and has considered it "magnificent" that this process of urban transformation is linked to the arrival of high-speed rail to the province.