The last 17th of March at 10.30 a.m. the experimental line of tramway of Alicante was officially inagurated.With a length of 3.5 kilometers, it links the Puerta del Mar square Albufereta beach, including an intermedate stop called La Marina, placed in the station of FGV.
After this period, it will be decided its ampliation at the rest of the city and at the beach zones in a future railway connection with more than 30 km long.
This experimetal line will be in use during the next six months, along which different railway vehicles will be proved, the first being the Combino de Siemens model. After this period, it will be decided its ampliation at the rest of the city and at the beach zones in a future railway connection with more than 30 km long.
The main feature of this railway project is that it will share a future reserved classic plataform in part of the route and in the rest of the journey. It will be done in order to demonstrate the versatility of the vehicles not only in the urban traffic but also in the countryside.
CONSINGMENT OF BUDGET
The general managment of Transport, Vicente Dómine, announced during the presentation of the tramway that will link the mar Square of Alicante and Albufereta during the next six months, that the recuperation of this kind of transport in the city will mean a cost of 30.000 millions of pesetas for the metropolitan area of Alicante. This amount of money is divided in two different parts, within the Planning of Metropolitan Transport and that means the inversion of 21.000 millions of pesetas in infraestructure works and 9.000 in the vehicles.
The experimental tramway handed over by Siemens, Combino model, will presumelly function during 45 days. After this first proof, the Conseller will experience with other type of vehicles, including the one that already exixts in Valencia.
The tramway has the capacity to transport 200 people, 48 of them can be seated. It longs little bit more than seven minutes in driving 3,5 km between Alicante and the Albufereta. During the weekends of the summer time, it will go on at evening time.
The experimental tramway handed over by Siemens, Combino model, will presumelly function during 45 days.
PLANS FOR THE FUTURE
García Antón reminded that the Public Works have already their definitive study to stretch 30 km of plataform and two lines that could be real after the 2000. Specifically, the conseller refered to the one that would link Renfe station, in the center of the city, with El Campello. It will take all the beach zones. The other one will came from the Explanada de España, near the port of Alicante to arrive to the General Hospital, the University of Alicante and Saint Vicente in the nothern-west part of the city and the metropolitan area.
THE BREAK OF THE AXLE-GUIDE
However, the day of the inauguration did not go on compleatly well, according to the new which appeared in the daily newspaper of Alicante Información, the one given the interest will reproduce , although extracted. Its title is "The break of the axle-guide leaves out of use the tramway the day of its inauguration". The notice is this:
"The breakdown of the convoy that blocked the line of the train Alicante-Denia of FGV along more than two hours and obligued the passangers by bus between Alicante and the beach of Saint John. The breakdown of the axle-guide of the tramway at 8 o'clock of the inauguration, when the convoy arrived a the station of Albufereta, blocked the line of the train Alicante-Denia during more that two hours and obligued to the FGV to transfer its passangers by bus between Alicante and the station of El Palmeral in the Beach of Saint John.
The breakdown took place at 7 p.m. and the tchnics had to use a great crane to rise the tramway a metro, to repair and make the needed proof before the tramway came back to Alicante, whose arrive was agreed for the 10 p.m., according to what the Consellería of public Works assured. The breakdown of the axle took place when the convoy had already stopped in Albufereta, when the guide that manage it broke and the tramway had to stop.FGV intended to use an hidraulic jack to rise the tramway, but the company Siemens denied it, given that it was a very delicated and sophisticated vehicle.
The reparation was delated various hours, during which around 30 people worked to put it into use. The breakdown affected to two trains which came from Alicante and to the two which arrived to Benidorm. FGV put into service a bus to transfer the passangers between the station of Postiguet and El Palmeral in the beach of Saint John. The spokesman of the Consellería of public Works assured that 'the tramway has not desrailed, nor has it suffered damage'. The same person pointed out that it will function without any problem".
