Manacor train on track for May

BALEARIC leader Francesc Antich made the first trip between Petra and Inca on the new track, on board a special train. The track will eventually reach Manacor. Antich was accompanied by Francesc Quetglas, the Balearic minister of public works, housing and transport, ministry officials and representatives of the media. The 30.6 kilometres of track between Inca and Manacor will be officially opened this spring, and it has cost 33.5 million euros.
Only three kilometres of track remain to be laid, and Quetglas said that work was running to schedule.
According to the minister, the track is a modern line which will offer the best safety conditions, reduce the noise and vibrations of the trains and will be easy to maintain. In some stretches, the original railway line has been followed, and in others a completely new line has been followed.
Once the line is completed, it will link Palma and Manacor, via Inca, Petra, Sant Joan and Sineu, in about 55 minutes.
The opening is scheduled for early May.
Antich described the project as “a major step to consolidate public transport” and said that it would reduce the number of cars on the road, although the trend indicated by the census (see article above) seemingly contradicts this. Quetglas pointed out that 77 level crossings on the old train route have been removed, to improve safety. The most difficult part of this operation was the construction of a bridge over the Palma-Manacor road.