THE leader of the Partido Popular (PP) in Malaga has called on the government to suspend the toll road on the AP-7 coastal road until the train network reaches Marbella and Estepona.
Patricia Navarro, speaking on the new season of TV show La Alameda, also demanded that the train network along the Andalucian coast extend from Almeria to Algeciras, linking the entire Costa del Sol.
Her comments came as a riposte to recent statements by the Secretary of State for Transport, Jose Antonio Santano, who suggested that more data is needed to decide whether the “complicated” extension of the train network “is indeed necessary”.
The Costa del Sol’s current train network only links Malaga with Fuengirola, a 20-minute journey.
An animated Navarro told La Alameda that Santano’s comments were worthy of resignation, saying: “Malaga is being ignored. He does not dare to say anything similar about Barcelona, Madrid or Bilbao, which is the league of cities in which Malaga is playing”.
The AP-7 road operates as a toll between Fuengirola and Estepona, meaning commuters either have to pay up to €13 to access the toll, or use the smaller, coastal and more congested A-7 route.
“The toll needs to be suspended in order to improve traffic, not to have standstill on the A-7 highway, improve road safety, and shorten the time it takes for workers to get to work”, said Navarro.
The PP will take the proposal to Congress, with Navarro confident that the extension of the railway will be included in the next general state budget (PGE).
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