Last stretch of rail laid, ready for May opening

THE Majorcan railway company, the SFM, has completed laying the track as far as Manacor, passing through the municipalities of Inca, Sineu, Petra and Manacor. The last pieces of track were laid this week near Petra.
Now two brigades of workers are going along the 30.6 kilometres of tracks, levelling the rails and laying ballast or gravel.
The finishing touches to the line will be added over the next two or three weeks.
This will include building fences along several stretches, work on the stations and the roundabout at the junction of the Petra and Manacor roads.
The opening date for the new line has not yet been announced although it is expected to be within the first fortnight in May.
The new stretch of railway line runs through Inca (2.8 kilometres), Sineu (12.6 kms), Petra (10.1 kms) and Manacor (4.9 kms).
One of its chief objectives is to decongest the Palma to Manacor road. The train will cover the distance between the two towns in 58 minutes.
Some of the stations are outside the towns, as is the case in Llubí, where it is three kilometres from the town. Local residents have asked for a shuttle bus service, such as that which operates in other parts of the island, linking up with the trains.