Palma town hall has written to the Spanish minister for transport, Raquel Sánchez, in requesting that 185 million euros for the Palma tram are instead allocated to the purchase of electric buses.
The letter signed by the councillor for mobility, Antonio Deudero, states that the tram project has been "definitively discarded" both by the town hall and the Balearic parliament. Therefore, he asks for a schedule to be drawn up for this money to be forwarded to the town hall as soon as possible and for it to be used for buses.
Deudero says that the town hall could carry out an alternative project involving bus routes that are 100% electric, would have zero planning impact and would enable the progressive elimination of diesel buses.
The spokesperson for the PSOE opposition in Palma, Rosario Sánchez, says that the current administration is losing money from European funds and from the Spanish government. "They said there was no provision for the tram and now they are demanding it."
In parliament earlier this week, it was confirmed that the tram project had been cancelled, the initial impression having been that it was only excluded from government investment in 2024. The reason for this exclusion was that funding from Madrid wasn't guaranteed.
In May this year, the Spanish ministry of transport announced the start of the process for regulating the granting of 185 million euros for the tram project. As the investment was for the tram specifically, it is extremely unlikely that it would be transferred to a different purpose.
In fact, the minister made this abundantly clear in October. The agreement signed with the previous government in the Balearics established that the funds were only associated with the initial project, i.e. the tram. Raquel Sánchez said that some town councils now led by coalitions of the Partido Popular and Vox were stopping projects to be financed with European funds.
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The money was for the tram not buses. The PP are idiots
Palma Town Hall and its Coucillor is a thief. Stealing the money allocated for a Tram Service means it will never be constructed. Sack that Coucillor. Put his Salary into the Tram Fund.
Talk about cake and eat it!