agoreira

That's exactly the complaint, there is only so much money to spend, and the majority has gone on the AVE, to the detriment of local services.

steviedeluxe

Good luck with persuading any government to invest in local lines in tourist areas (ie non-commuter zones). A lot of lines have been closed in Cornwall too, over the years. A shame really, as the scenery is fantastic, but no government can afford this type of investment. The AVE lines get millions of passengers, and are utilised all year long. Plus it doesn't stop the development of local transport - loads of new tramlines, underground services in places like Valencia and Madrid. Edit: and hasn't Seville just opened its new metro system?

jackytoo

The CDS is a commuter zone. Peak hour traffic málaga to marbella is horrendous. Buses fill up quickly and it's impossible to get on outside the city centres. People who cannot afford a car can only look for work a short radius from their home.

Domino

There now, and there was me thinking it was all done just so Ryanair could land half empty planes on £25 seats. Having been hit by their pull out from Granada I could never understand why they wanted to go to an airport with the most movements coming from the local crop dusting company.

Perhaps there is a hidden - military - reason ?? After all, it is adjacent to a motorway standard road and lots and lots of road infrastructure for industrial estates that have never started. ( I drove past it all a couple of months ago)

Domino

Substitute "marbella" with most UK towns and cities and life is no different.

steviedeluxe

You had me really good, believing all those links you posted stating no-one in the south had a job.

jackytoo

Maybe (ok where I live) but the point is we are discussing the usefulness of the AVE in Spain.

steviedeluxe

Yes, there is something strange about that Ciudad Real airport. You can half understand the Castellon development, if there are plans to increase tourist facilities north of Valencia (and isn't there a new casino development due to take shape soon in Aragon?) But who would travel in great numbers to Ciudad Real? I wonder if it isn't linked to the move by BA/Iberia to Spain - just speculation, and they may well stick with Madrid.

jackytoo

Figures speak for themselves. Unemployment is around 28% on the coast, 40%+ for under 25's. There are always some people working, going to colleges etc. majority of workers in CDS hospitals and clinics journey from Málaga. Just shows how a rail link is needed for the time when they get unemployment down to UK levels (if ever)

agoreira

It's the sort of airport Ryanair would use and call it Madrid. Only 200+kms away! In actual fact I think it's planned name was Madrid South! Just looked it up, first it was going to be Don Quijote Airport, then Madrid Sur. You couldn't make it up, could you?
http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2007/0...187777247.html

steviedeluxe

There are over 8 million people of working age economically inactive in the UK. To be honest I don't see either the UK or spain getting everyone to work within a short time. at least the current figures are going down in both countries

But I don't think you can criticise Spain for not investing in local transport - quite the reverse, some may say they've over-invested. If the Marbella area has not done this, it has to be down to the local politics, and not resources being diverted to AVE lines, as claimed. Plenty of other areas in Spain have dramatically improved their local transport systems

http://www.spanishvida.com/spain-tod...sport-network/

Domino

Granada has said a section of its Metro will be completed by November - public response was "Which year?" but its getting there slowly, bits and pieces started all over the place.

Domino

jacky thought the original thread was an airport - but for AVE substitute the new UK Money Pit, to take over from the Olympics, called a High Speed Train. To run next to existing track and to have a total journey saving of 3-5mins after 3 hours or so of travel. No one except a selected few who have rose tinted glasses can see any reason for it. Save the money and spend half of it on repairing roads.

Bet the UK isn't at the EU begging bowl for the funding for that

jackytoo

Stevie not local politics, all the CDS Mayors want the rail link, it is the fault of the junta de andalucía and Ministerio de Fomento. Everything you read about the AVE in the spanish media will be positive but if you talk to ordinary people or read local spanish forums they all say the AVE means nothing to their lives but the cercanias would.

The same as in the UK if they built a highspeed train link from Southampton to Waterloo but cut out the small village stops such as mine. The commuters would have to rely on cars or lose their jobs in London. That is what has happened in some areas of andalucía

Domino

but it is a scheduled stop for the AVE, from the satellite not too sure how many miles it is from the train to the airport tho.