Stretches of railway in need of repair

HOPES of a speedy reopening of the Manacor train service were dashed yesterday when Carlos Jover, the director general of public works, claimed that there were 20 to 25 stretches of rail which needed repairs. He added that repairing all the defects on the line to Manacor could take longer than expected. Jover was speaking at a press conference to launch the new Palma-Calvia-Andratx bus service (see adjacent story). He said that on Friday, he had made a tour of inspection on the Inca to Manacor line as far as Sineu. “I was surprised to find that nearly the entire track between Inca and Sineu needed repairs.” He said that there were about 20 stretches which ran through embankments, some of them ten metres high, and in various cases they were about to collapse. It was the collapse of an embankment which derailed the train on March 13, injuring 13 people. Jover said that the best solution would be a new project, although he added that he was aware that service should be resumed as soon as possible, once the safety of the line is guaranteed and there are no risks of another accident. The engineer's report which will give some estimation of the time needed to repair the tracks will be presented on Thursday. But, warned Jover, the new defects which have come to light mean that repairs will take longer than expected. He has asked minister Mabel Cabrer to organise a visit to the line, so that journalists can see its condition for themselves.
Cabrer said that she understood the attitude of commuters, who wanted the service restored as soon as possible (at present, the service is covered by buses, which cost considerably more than the train), but she asked them to show understanding. The department cannot open a line which is not safe and where a fatal accident could occur, she said. She made it clear that the derailment on March 13 “has caused us many headaches.” The socialists have accused Cabrer's ministry of dragging its feet over reopening the line, claiming that it is not interested in boosting public transport.