O Algarve wants, Andalusia asks and the Government, representing Portugal, has also joined the struggle. All that remains is to convince the central power in Spain, which "never said no", but does not have the construction of the railway between Huelva and the Portuguese border "at the top of its priorities".
This was the executive summary made the day before yesterday by Pedro Nuno Santos, the Minister of Infrastructure, on the connection between Vila Real de Santo António and Seville and Huelva, where "a continuous railway line" ends in Hungary.
“This is a battle that we are all going to have to fight, because we know that, at least, Andalusia wants this connection. Between Andalusia, the Algarve and the central government, we must continue to fight this fight, because it is of the utmost importance», he defended.
The member of the Government took advantage of his presence at the ceremony of award of the electrification work of the line between Faro and VRSA, in the latter city, to handle this process, which has recently gained a new lease of life and, in the minister's view, thanks to the current Government.
“Since I took office, this has been one of the connections that we [Government] have fought the most for. Without prejudice to the struggle of the Algarve, the truth is that not even the Algarve was defending it much anymore. By this I mean that it was not at the top of the priorities, two years ago little was said about the connection to Seville», he said.
«Algarvians have never forgotten it, but the truth is that, in recent times, it has gained a new centrality, because every time we talk to the Spaniards about connections to Spain, the top priority of our priorities is the connection of VRSA to Seville and Huelva», reinforced the member of the Government.
Pedro Nuno Santos gives the example of the most recent Iberian summit, which "went well".
“Once again, we put this issue on the agenda, not just me, but the prime minister himself, who took this connection as his concern and made a point of mentioning it in two moments: in the meeting with the Spanish prime minister and in the press conference,” he revealed.
And why is this issue so important to the Government?
“There is a continuous train line from Hungary to Huelva. And it is difficult to understand how there is this infrastructure that crosses Italy, France and Spain, goes to Seville, which is the fourth largest city in Spain, and stops in Huelva. And then, here we have tens of kilometers to the border without a railway line," he said, recalling that this link "already existed", but that Spain "has raised the rails".
“I have no doubt that it will be very impactful for us and for them [Andalusia] and that opportunities will increase. From the moment that we have a connection that comes from the center of Europe and with the growing number of people choosing the train as a means of transport, you can see the gains that the Algarve will have», he anticipated.
However, "- and this is the most unpleasant part - the overwhelming majority of the investment is made by the Spaniards."
And if we are talking about struggles, potential allies are not rejected, in this case the Spanish company Sacyr, which is part of the consortium that won the contract for the electrification of the line awarded yesterday.
«Aware that Sacyr is a company and that it does not take political decisions, as it is a Spanish company, if you can help us convince the Government of your country of the importance of making this connection, who knows who will win this tender?», joked Pedro Nuno Santos, addressing the company representatives present at the ceremony.
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