Over the next two years, the entire Valencia traffic network will be revamped with a clear aim of reducing travel and waiting time…
While Valencian transport companies suffer from the pandemic in unprecedented terms, the Ministry of Public Works and Mobility is taking the daunting step forward towards improving public transport through additional investment. In order to enhance the frequency of the Metrovalencia system, the Department is allocating €235m. The goal is to reduce transit times throughout the network and to meet users’ needs.
This plan was recently presented by the Transport Minister and will be implemented in the next three years. It includes a number of measures for the consolidation of Metrovalencia (subway and tram) services, in an effort to become “a real alternative to the use of private cars.” The proposed work includes the adaptation of terminals and the elimination of level crossings.
More than €90m will be invested in the subway system to unfold sections of a single track on the Metro lines, increase the size of the crossing points in different surface sections, abolish the level crossings and modernise the interlocking and train protection systems.
The investment in the tram network amounts to more than €127 million and includes the acquisition of new units, the expansion of the loop in the El Cabanyal-Canyamelar area, the extension of existing platforms, the installation of new interlocks and the modernisation of the tram protection and control systems.
Work will begin in 2022 and it is expected that the users of Metrovalencia will be able to see significant improvements by the end of 2023.
The most visible outcome will be an immediate reduction in waiting and travel times across the entire surface network. The same applies to the underground network, and may put an end to the fact that waiting time for the train to arrive very often exceeds travel time.
Savings have been estimated for certain sections of the network. For example, the waiting time on line 2, L’Eliana-Empalme, will be reduced from 30 minutes to 12 minutes.. Something similar is going to happen on line 1, between Torrent and Picassent, where there is going to be another 18 minutes of reduction. By eliminating other problems and modernising the system as a whole, all travel times will generally improve.
This is a bold step for the Ministry, as the latest figures show that the trend of reduced passenger traffic continued in 2021. In the face of the third wave of the pandemic, passenger traffic on Metrovalencia decreased by 55% compared to last January. EMT Valencia was even worse off, with a 59% decrease in traffic. This can be attributed to the limited movement and measures put in place to improve the health situation. While it is expected that the lost traffic will be recovered once the pandemic has ended, it is still unknown how some other trends might affect traffic. The most notable are teleworking, online education and, in general, increased interest in properties outside the city.
© Huge Investment In The Valencia Traffic Network – TheValencian
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