Underground macro-station to be built in Palma centre

An underground railway station beneath the plaza de España, the construction of a railway link to the university along the Valldemossa road and the sinking of a number of the new railway lines below ground, are just some of the public transport projects Palma city council and the Balearic government will approve next week. Mayor of Palma, Joan Fageda met Balearic President, Francesc Antich, for talks yesterday and top of the agenda was the expansion of Majorca's railway and how the project is to be funded. Both Fageda and Antich agreed that extra funding has got to come from Madrid and that the island's railway project be included in the Minister for Public Works's Infrastructure Plan. Despite their differences, Fageda and Antich agreed to collaborate, with the help of representatives from the much criticised public transport sector to improve services. Fageda admitted that while Palma city council and central government in Madrid are run by the same party, the Partido Popular, the Mayor said that public transport is “not a political issue, but a necessity of the people of Palma and Majorca.” “The Ministry has got to understand that we can not resolve the public transport system without sinking some stretches of the railway underground or building the new macrostation,” the Mayor added. Fageda envisages Palma's underground public transport station not only accommodating the railway, but also taxis and buses. “It is an ambitious and costly project,” Fageda said, adding that the council, the local government and Madrid all have a financial obligation.