A contract has been awarded for €2 million to draw up plans to construct the rail connection to Alicante-Elche airport.
The state official bulletin (BOE) notes that the preparation for the long-awaited train service will be carried out by the company UTE Aeropuerto Alicante.
However, the ministry for transport has allowed 38 months for this process to be completed, which means that construction work would not get underway until 2026 at the earliest.
The scheme involves converting the existing track which runs from Alicante city to Elche via Torrellano into an electrified train line, with an underground section measuring some 1.4km leading to the airport.
Mayor of Elche Carlos González stated that it was an ‘extremely complex’ infrastructure project.
He noted that the timescale given was a ‘maximum’, inferring that it could be finished in a faster time.
The contract allows for 24 months to complete the plans and for another 14 months to deal with any corrections that have to be carried out arising from suggestions and objections.
Only then will the ministry for transport be able to put the construction works out to tender.
Full report in Friday’s Costa Blanca News
