Online guide to old railway line routes
The pathways can be used by cyclists and walkers
THE ‘ATLAS de Vías Verdes’ (greenway atlas) of the Valencia region is a new online tool for finding the routes and heritage elements of old railway lines that have been converted for pedestrians and cyclists to enjoy.
The original routes of the railway lines and their most interesting elements have been identified through orthophotos, georeferencing platforms, archive documents and fieldwork, and are presented with pictures and photographs of each. These maps are accessible from any internet device, and the information is also available in English.
The project was created at the request of the regional department for public works, transport and sustainable mobility by the Valencia university faculty of Demetrio Ribes, which was set up to study the history of transport and public works.
“We wanted all users to have a helpful tool with information about the elements they may find on their route, such as viaducts and bridges, as well as the different services they may need,” explained the director general of this regional government department, Roser Obrer.
“These routes connect up
the land and now with this atlas we are boosting local economies, as the public and commercial services of the different surrounding places can be found on the app.”
She also highlighted the help that various town halls had provided to create the app.
There is also a facility for users to report to the public works department any damage they may find on their route, so that it can be fixed.
In this way it can help the road vigilance services to conserve these ways, which they also inspect regularly.
The greenways are an ideal way to discover natural spaces and their heritage, and the regional government is protecting them and creating new ones in order to foster wellbeing, sustainable tourism, and respect for the land and the environment, she noted.
The presentation of the greenways atlas took place in Viver, which lies on the Vía Verde de Ojos Negros, which is one of the longest greenways in Europe at 167.5 kilometres, of which 75km are in the provinces of Valencia and Castellón. It is so named because it used to connect the iron mines of Ojos Negros in Teruel with Sagunto port.
New greenway
In a bid for a new greenway to be created, the mayor of Callosa de Segura, Manuel Martínez
Sirvent showed the project to the Senate last week.
Replacing the old train lines through the centre of the town would create a green corridor connecting different neighbourhoods and creating ‘significant breathing space’ for residents.
He argued this makes even more sense now that some of the local trains that passed through here have been moved to the high-speed train (AVE) tracks.
“We want the Spanish government to give us specific dates for when all of the local trains will be moved to the AVE tracks, which first requires the stretch from San Isidro to be electrified and the main places as far as Alicante connected to the high speed,” said the mayor.
This greenway would also create a sustainable connection to San Isidro, Redován and part of Orihuela, as well as connecting the Vega Baja with the Vía Verde de la Sal (salt greenway) in Torrevieja, he added.
The Torrevieja greenway is one of those featured in the atlas for which research is still underway, and there is a facility for users to submit suggestions about what elements of interest should be included in the content.