INCA TRAIN STATION SET TO GET A MAJOR FACE-LIFT

Staff Reporter AN investment of 6 million euros is to be made by the Balearic government in major works to be carried out alongside the rail and coach station in Inca. The Mayor of Inca, Pere Rotger, and the regional minister for Public Works, Mabel Cabrer, signed an agreement yesterday for work to commence on the project. New infrastructure will include an underground carpark, and the diversion of the railway level crossing into an underground 100-metre-long tunnel. Additionally, three underground pedestrian walkways will be built, pavements in the area will be redesigned to give a tidier look and a new garden area will be landscaped to make it more attractive. Following the signing of the agreement, the managing director of Majorcan Railways (SFM), Rafel Pons, emphasized that “the importance of the whole operation is to encourage people to use the train as a regular means of transport”. Amongst other advantages, the agreement includes enabling users of the parking area to claim at least 15 percent off their train journeys. Rotger insisted that “at the core of the project was the priority aim to eliminate danger, but we also want to provide Inca with quality infrastructure and installations such as the underground carpark in Antoni Mateu square.” The parking area next to the station will be the property of the municipality, but it is being ceded to Majorcan Railways for 35 years. The whole of the project will have to be drawn up before the second half of this year. Pons estimated that the official duration of project for the completion of the tunnel works is calculated at a year and a half. The minister for Public Works highlighted the importance of public transport, and above all, the use of the train. She pointed out that an investment of 23 million euros had been made in buying new railway machinery “which will be here at the start of the new year”. With this investment, “we are confident that we can bring an efficient service into operation as far as Manacor and avoid delays”, said Cabrer, who added that another 20 million euros will be invested in improving the track between Palma and Inca. The minister also confirmed that following serious vibration problems on a section of the track just outside Palma, specialised plaques were going to be inserted to alleviate the problem.