Clampdown on foreign registered vehicles

Gibraltar-registered vehicles are not exempt
SPAIN Drivers will have noticed that the Guardia Civil Traffic Unit are stopping them more frequently. They should know that the local Guardia Civil are well aware of all the foreign registered vehicles in their area; they know how long a person has been living in the area, and whether or not they have foreign-plated car at the door. Below, you will find a summary of what the law says -and a few suggestions- about a foreign registered car, most of which the GC have until now not been bothered with much. Until now. We keep hearing about cars being towed away or confiscated at the roadside because they are now clamping down on these illegal vehicles. The law is not specific about Gibraltar-plated cars, but it must be assumed that their owners living on this side of the border  are covered by the same law.>>>

EC approves new Mediterranean Railway Corridor: Algeciras-Bobadilla line to be upgraded

An approximation, no details

SPAIN (Agencies) The Campo de Gibraltar came alight yesterday when the European Commission announced its decision on the future design of what is being called the Railway Corridor (though it involves more than just railways). The new design, which will probably end up being called the Mediterranean Corridor by the media, is scheduled to link Algeciras with the East coast of Spain and on to the rest of Europe, for which plans are also in the making. According to one Costa del Sol paper, the redesign does nothing for them as it bypasses the coast, which has disappointed the mayors there, who had hoped to use European finance to link up their towns, particularly Marbella and Estepona by rail. But the plan approved yesterday by the EC starts in>>>

Large truck gets stuck on Marchenilla road

JIMENA/Marchenilla (Source: www.buceite.com) A trailer truck carrying 40 tons of oranges from the Cooperative in San Pablo, got stuck on the road to Marchenilla in the early hours of Saturday. Driven by a Bulgarian, it had left San Pablo towards Tesorillo via the CA-8200 road -in theory closed to traffic because of rain damage- but on arrrival at Tesorillo found that it had to go through the village. It happens that Carnival was on, and the Local Police advised the driver to turn back and take the A-405 through Marchenilla. With a complicated manouevre, he turned around and took the advice. Of course, he did'nt know the state of that road (did the police?), which has been in a dreadful state of disrepair for years and is rarely used other than by knowledgeable local drivers with appropriate vehicles. The truck eventually got stuck and stayed there the rest of the night until a crane was brought in to remove it (photo). The trouble is that, aside from the state of the CA-8200, which is worsened daily, lorries are not allowed on it and are often fined. However, this is the only reasonable way for the oranges collected at the San Pablo Cooperativa to reach market.

Our railway station is 120 years old

The railway station at Jimena is 120 years old this year. As we announced here, celebrations for this significant event in the history of Jimena are taking place this Satruday. The Algeciras-Ronda railway was built by British engineers as an R&R facility for troops stationed in Gibraltar. It is still one of the most attractive train rides in Spain, especially in the Spring when the wild flowers are out. Several of the stations on the line have been transformed into restaurants, which make the ride a great day out. You can see a history of one of the hotels built for the purpose in the 3rd edition of our DominGo magazine (which may be revived next year if there's financing).

General strike approaches

As we write, Spain's unions are holding meetings in various parts of the country, in villages, towns and cities, to foment backing for the General Strike they announced in June. Indeed, the loudspeakers were out this morning in Jimena, at a somewhat wet market. The strike is scheduled for September 29 and will affect the entire country, as might be expected. There is much support for it, according to the unions, and not much, according to just about anyone else. Whoever is right, it is certain to impact on  travel and transport, for instance, and a lot more. The reason we mention these two in particular is because it might be worth reminding our readers to warn anyone they know who might have planned to come or go to the country. Naturally, many other things will probably be affected, such as shopping, or banking, or ... whatever. There is an old Spanish saying: El que avisa no es traidor (he who warns is no traitor - or, 'fore warned is fore armed'.

Algeciras - Ronda train service reopens

Work on the railway line between Algeciras and Ronda has finished. Trains are now running between Algeciras and the Bobadilla hub and beyond. Although the Ronda-Bobadilla section has yet to be finalised, this will not impact the service. Aside from replacing timber sleepers and electrifying the line (the last one left in Spain to do so), work has also been carried to reinforce prevention of landslides and improve crossings along the line. The first trains to arrive at Algeciras yesterday morning came from Granada, Madrid and Ronda. The alternative bus routes are now cancelled.

Repairs to Puerto Gáliz road are under way

Work began last week on the CA-8201 road that links Jimena with Puerto Gáliz, which has been closed since February because of sinkage due to heavy rains. The work is to be carried out in two phases: first, building a short by-pass to allow access to farms and the Nature Park and securing the road itself to avoid further slippage, and then repairing the road itself. This road, and the CA-8202, which joins San Pablo with Tesorillo, are part of an emergency plan being carried out by Diputación de Cádiz, which is responsible for the provincial roads (identified by the letters CA).

24-hour train strike today

We might not have noticed it at the local level, as the Algceiras-Ronda line is not due to re-open until April 23, but there is a national train strike on right now.  (Yes, in Spain, not only in the UK.) The union puts the compliance figure at between 75 and 80%, while ADIF, the rail managing company, and RENFE, the national railway operator, says it's at 3.5%. The unions complain that the companies 'have not respected the beginning of the strike' because they allowed 'forbidden traffic' of cargo trains. The companies say that the union calling the walkout, CGT (Confederación General de Trabajadores), is in the minority as it only has one representative on the negotiation board. Other unions, such as UGT  (union General de Trabajadores) and CC.OO. (Comisiones Obreras) have not come out on strike. For further information on train schedules: www.renfe.com or on the phone at 902 320 32.

Algeciras - Ronda railway line to re-open on April 23

According to ADIF (Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias), the railway line administrator agency, the connection between Algeciras and Ronda is to be re-opened to traffic on April 23. They report that  over 85% of the work is completed and the remaining 15% or so can be carried out without closing the line to passenger or cargo trains. Modernization included work on the infrastructure and superstructure of the line 'in preparation for electrifying' it at a later date. Forteen tunnels had to be reinforced  (photo: EuropaSur)and all the wooden sleepers have been replaced. The line has been closed since October 26 last year and some delays occurred due to inclement weather.

Algeciras - Ronda railway 'to be re-opened at end of March or beginning April'

(Photo: EuropaSur) The president of Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias (ADIF), Antonio González Marín, said yesterday that he expects the line between Algeciras and Ronda to be re-opened by the end of March or beginning of April. He added that although his company "has no control over the weather" he was well pleased with progress, which he quantified as 70% completed. González Marín made the statement during an extensive visit to the line yesterday.

'A-4100 will not be repaired until weather improves'

(Press release) The Mayor of Castellar, Francisco Vaca (photo) this morning visited the A-2100 Arenillas road that runs from Castellar to Sotogrande and has been closed since a large part of it collapsed on February 8. After apologising for the absence of the Provincial Delegate for Public Works, Pablo Lorenzo, who was called away, Vaca announced that the road would not be repaired until the weather improves. The mayor also pointed out that although the road is mainly within the municipality of San Roque, it is used principally by the people of Castellar and Jimena to get to work on the coast.

Four new bus links between Algeciras and La Línea

(Agencies) The Campo de Gibraltar Transport Consortium announced that, as from next Tuesday, it will increase service between Algeciras and La Línea that will complement the present service. Thus, direct service is established from Algeciras to La Línea (M-120 line) at 7:00, 8:30, 13:30 and 15:00; and from La Línea to Algeciras at 7:45, 9:15, 14:15 and 15:45. The consortium also announced that one of every three users of the metropolitan bus service is now using its 'single travel card' (Tarjeta Única).

Algeciras-Madrid train service to be suspended for at least three months

(Agencies) The Algeciras-Madrid-Algeciras train line is to be suspended for at least three months because the track between Algeciras and Bobadilla is being replaced, acording to Renfe. An alternative bus service linking Algeciras with Málaga, Ronda and/or Bobadilla will be set up. There is no firm date as to when work is to begin, but it will probably be on or around the 25th or 26th of this month.

Using SatNav while driving causes loss of attention

(Agencies) A study carried out by insurance company Línea Directa says that using a SatNav (GPS in Spanish) device while driving can cause a loss of road sign perception of up to 50%, while 75% of drivers lose some control over their vehicle while manipulating it. Driving at 90 k/h a driver will miss half the road signs, reduce speed by an average of 15 k/h and the distance between his or her vehicle and the one in front will increase by 80 metres. Reaction time will also diminish "considerably," says the report.>

A reader asks: "Any buses when the train stops?"

(E-mail) "Hello, sorry to trouble you but I have just happened upon your online magazine. My husband and I are coming to Andalucia in November and had planned on taking the train from Colmenar to Algeciras. Do you know if the train has ceased operating? We were going to come up to the area from Estepona by bus to Caceres, somehow travel from Caceres to Gaucin, walk from Gaucin to Colmenar and take the train to Algeciras. Do you know of any buses between Caceres and Gaucin and from Gaucin to Algeciras or Tarifa? Their websites and/or phone numbers would be of great assistance. Thank you." Our answer:>