Line 5: the
Port – Airport connection
Having put the first section of Line
5 of the Metro into operation in April
2003, work on the first phase of the
extension from Mislata-Almassil to
Quart de Poblet began in May.
In the future, Line 5 will provide
a direct link between Valencia’s
seafront (the Balcón al Mar)
and Manises Airport, connecting the
metro network with the towns of Quart
de Poblet, Manises and Ribarroja.
The new line will represent a major
arterial connection between the three
main generators of traffic in the
area – the Port, Airport and
RENFE central station – fully
synchronising them with the urban
and metropolitan transport network.
New underground branch and station
at Torrent
The new Metro tunnel and station
at Torrent will provide a significant
improvement in service to this important
municipality in the metropolitan
area.
In June 2002, work began on the construction
of a new underground branch of Line
5 and a new Metrovalencia underground
station in the town of Torrent. The
objective of this project, which
has a budget approaching 20 million
euros, is to give the town access
to the Metro network and improve
connections between Torrent and the
city of Valencia and its catchment
area.
The new station will be located
under the Plaza de la Unión
Musical, between the Avinguda del
País Valencià and Calle
Padre Méndez, in a central
zone close to one of the areas of
greatest urban development in Torrent.
It will be equipped with escalators
and lifts to ensure full access to
people with reduced mobility.
The Metro offers the inhabitants
of Torrent a fast, convenient and
ecologically friendly form of public
transport whereby passengers can
be in the commercial centre of Valencia
in around 20 minutes without the
hassle of traffic jams and finding
a parking space.
In 2004 the southern branch of Line
5 will reach Torrent, at which point
the new “Torrent Avinguda” station
will open, bringing the network closer
to an area undergoing considerable
expansion.
New Bailén
station
In 2003 work begun on the
new Bailén station, investment
in which exceed 16.7 million euros.
This operation is part of Valencia’s
“Central Park” project
which entails the reorganisation of
the city’s railway infrastructures.
The new station is built on the underground
section that runs between the stations
of Jesús and Colón and
is located close to the tunnel that
links the main thoroughfares. This
location means that it will become
the biggest modal interchange station
in the city of Valencia, allowing
passengers to combine various different
types of transport. It will also connect
the Metro to the regional and high-speed
train services by means of two halls:
one connecting directly to the RENFE
station platforms and the other with
the pedestrian tunnel of Valencia’s
Gran Vía. In addition, the
Bailén station will feed the
Metrovalencia service to the neighbourhoods
of Ruzafa and Patraix.
Extension of Line T-4 to Valterna/Terramelar
and La Coma
In the summer of 2003, work
started on the extension of the Line
4 tramline towards the north-west
to service the neighbourhoods of La
Coma and Valterna in the municipality
of Paterna and respond to the demand
created by the significant development
of urban, leisure and service areas
taking place in this part of the Metropolitan
Zone.
The overall budget for this extension
project is more than 21.7 million
euros. The initial continuation begin
from the TVV roundabout and continue
along the right-hand side of Calle
Universidad, at the end of which it
forks into two, one branch going towards
the neighbourhood of La Coma and the
other to Valterna.
Incorporation of the T-2 line
The T2 tramline will connect
the northern zone of the city, the
historical centre of Valencia, the
central RENFE station, the City of
Arts and Sciences, the City of Justice
and the Nazaret neighbourhood.
This new line has been divided into
two sections, one being the northern
section which goes from Orriols/Torrefiel
to Xàtiva station, passing
through the Historical Centre of
Valencia, and the other being the
southern section which goes from
the same station to Nazaret.
The Orriols/Torrefiel – Xàtiva
section will be built in phase one,
providing a new artery to facilitate
connections between the north and
centre of Valencia.
This first section will have 12
stations and almost six kilometres
of track. The line will run on the
surface from the Monastery of San
Miguel de los Reyes to a point close
to the Pont de Fusta, where it will
go underground until the Estación
del Norte, where it connects with
Xátiva station, consolidating
the latter’s status as an intermodal
station between Line 3, the T-2 and
the RENFE services.
The new line will have three stations
in order to respond to demand in
the Historical Centre: one in the
Plaza del Mercado to be known as “Mercado”,
one next to the Mossén Sorell
market to be known as “Carmen” and
a third opposite the Serranos Towers.
The access to this latter station
will be positioned on the historical
centre side to give more convenient
pedestrian access to the IVAM and
the Plaza de la Virgen.
Being developed concurrently with
this first section of the T-2 line
is a second fundamental project on
the Xàtiva-Nazaret section
which will serve the highly populated
neighbourhood of Ruzafa and the City
of Arts and Sciences area. |
