Calasparra, Cieza y Hellín have agreed to start work on a Camarillas Via Verde for walkers, runners and cyclists without pulling up the train tracks.
This pioneering project would preserve the existing train tracks along the old route Chinchilla-Murcia-Cartegena (between Agramón (Hellín) and Calasparra and Cieza) for future possible transport and leisure projects.
The Mayors of the three municipal areas have pledged to maintain the railways with a view to reinstating regional and/or district rail routes. They also agreed on the touristic, patrimonial, sport and social possibilities of a “mixed” Via Verde where walking and hiking would coincide alongside future rail services.
Plans also include repairs and renovations to existing station buildings for different projects.
The meeting agreed to start looking for funds for the project immediately with an emphasis on EU finance destined for Rural Development related to the depopulation of an eminently rural area.
The delegation from Calasparra, which include the Mayoress Teresa Garcia and the Cllr Antonio Merino, also proposed the Via Verde should be called the Calasparra Rice Route.
Editors Note:
Readers may be aware of the Via Verde routes in the region where train tracks have been pulled up to make way for walkers and cyclists. The proposed Via Verde of Camarillas runs through some of the most spectacular countryside in the region and alongside the picturesque Camarillas Reservoir.
Calasparra Town Hall, along with the Cieza and Hellin, have always opposed the closure of the rail link between the towns which cut the last public transport link between the towns and are fighting to reinstate a regional or district service although a “tourist train” also appears to be part of the proposal.
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