A modern road network that guarantees territorial structuring; some quality public transport that respond to needs without discriminating against anyone; create a attractive and benchmark logistics hub; and promote the digitalization and innovation.
These are, broadly speaking, some of the challenges that the new Minister of Mobility and Digital Transformation has set himself, Jose Luis Sanz Merino, for the remaining year and a half of the legislature, as she announced this morning during her appearance in Parliament to give an account of her action programme, which has not changed much from the one presented a few months ago by her predecessor in office, Maria Gonzalez Corralcurrently Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development, in another of the Government changes following the departure of Vox from the Mañueco Executive.
During his presentation, Sanz Merino put forward some measures that will begin at the beginning of next year for the new preliminary projects for the operation of the new passenger transport system that will have a “zero emissions” intelligent transport system (ITS), or in other words, the improvement of the bus lines that depend on the Junta, so that citizens can participate. In this matter, he also reaffirmed his Commitment to improving urban and metropolitan transport connections and recalled that they will soon sign agreements with the city councils of Salamanca and Burgos for this purpose, which will be added to those already signed with the councils of León, Valladolid and Segovia.
Merino made a parenthesis regarding the transport of passengers to warn that they will continue to fight against the New map of passenger transport by road that the Government of Spain intends to approve “which is “tremendously damaging for Castile and Leon,” He said that the draft presented foresees the elimination of up to 474 stops in the Community, which would affect nearly 350 municipalities. “We will continue to demand that the National Transport Conference be held to achieve the necessary coherence with the autonomous map and so that the citizens of this land receive a quality service without discrimination,” he pointed out.
On the other hand, the Refurbishment and improvement of the Valladolid bus station for an amount of 4.5 millions, without abandoning the construction by the Valladolid High Speed Company of a new terminal, and stressed that in 2025 Work will begin on the stations The town of Osma (Soria), Guijuelo (Salamanca) and Medina de Pomar (Burgos). Twenty new waiting shelters will also be installed in rural areas, which will be added to the 47 already installed in 2022 and 2023.
Digitalisation and innovation of roads
Regarding roads, Merino reaffirmed the The goal is to preserve and innovate the regional network. “It is a matter of the first order,” said the councillor, while recalling the 331.8 million euros already invested in tenders, when the Junta “does not receive European funding for the maintenance and modernisation of roads,” he warned.
Some performances for the Improving road safety and mobility These include 9 million euros for the humanisation of 30 crossings in the nine provinces of the Community, 15.7 million euros for the construction of bicycle lanes and 9.6 million euros for horizontal and vertical signage.
Also notable was the new Digital Road Model, to which 2.67 million euros will be allocated and which will collect all the information on the Autonomous Road Network, and announced that an integrated maintenance system will be established to optimize management with the priority objective of guaranteeing road safety.
Demands to the Government
Merino confirmed that the Ministry will continue with its Bonus policy for both road and rail transportl, among other things due to the great reception” that those referring to high-speed users are having, which is why they have recently had to increase the allocation. In fact, he pointed out that in 2023, 140,936 vouchers were issued and that in the first half of this year alone, 107,500 have already been reached. This has led to the signing of the fifth addendum to the agreement, which will mean that a total of 16.2 million for the current 23 relationships collected.
The counselor asked the Government of Spain that the pending railway relations be declared as Public Service Obligations (OSP)so that they can be incorporated into our 25 percent bonus financed by the Board and that the solution is addressed through “AVE shuttles” for high-speed stations far from population centers, and that “railway services and stops are not penalized” in rural municipalities as set out in the draft law on sustainable mobility.
Likewise, it demanded the improvement of the Ávila-Madrid and Soria-Madrid rail connections, the improvement of the services of the Ávila-Valladolid conventional line and the maintenance as definitive of the Soria-Calatayud pilot project and the Palencia-Valladolid-Medina del Campo commuter line and its extension to Arévalo and Ávila.
It is also demanded to promote the Silver Route in Zamora, the electrification of Fuentes de Oñoro, in Salamanca, and the maintenance as definitive of the Soria-Calatayud pilot project and the Palencia-Valladolid-Medina del Campo commuter line.
And in terms of roads, the demands to the Government of Spain will focus on the request for the completion of the motorways that have been experiencing delays for yearsSpecifically, the A-11 of the Duero, the A-15 of Navarra, the A-12 of the Camino de Santiago, the A-40 Adanero-Ávila-Maqueda, the A-73 Burgos-Aguilar de Campoo, the A-60 Valladolid-León or the A-76 Ponferrada-Orense.
Atlantic Corridor
Among the most important challenges of his mandate is the implementation of the Logistics Strategy of Castilla y León 2024-2030 in which they will seek “maximum citizen participation” and the “greatest consensus” possible among the agents involved. Objective: to turn Castilla y León into a “a reference logistics node at national and European level” so that enhance your opportunities and the development of this activity.
Sanz Merino, who assured that the Strategy awaits the presentation of the Master Plan for the Atlantic Corridor, stated that it will be “the reference framework and the roadmap” that will integrate all the public policies of the Junta de Castilla y León in terms of land promotion and logistics developments.
The counselor also explained that will set out the strategic and organisational lines of the sector and will deal with marketing and planning infrastructure and services that are promoted in all areas linked to the logistics sector. For this reason, he insisted that this Strategy is aimed at promoting the establishment of new companies and the consolidation and expansion of existing ones, to contribute to the creation of employment and the economic development of Castilla y León.
Sanz Merino demanded from the opposition a Community Pact on the Atlantic Corridor to establish a common position for the next meetings of the Conference of Presidents and those held with President Sánchez.
Digital transformation
Regarding the chapter on digital transformation, the counselor explained that his department is promoting the Modernization of the electronic platform of the Administration because, according to him, the provision of telematic services through more than 1,500 procedures depends largely on it. In fact, he pointed out that a new teleprocessing system will be launched, with “significant” improvements, such as the inclusion of forms “pre-filled” by the Administration or the payment of fees and the incorporation of documents previously stored by the Administration.
Likewise, Merino cited the new citizen folder, which, as a novelty, will make it possible to obtain certificates, to consult notifications and access services from other Public Administrations, or the changes in the management of files, which he stressed will allow for the automation of processes, centralisation of documents and reduction of errors. In addition, he announced that they will promote the use of artificial intelligence, both in internal processes and in services provided to citizens.
The head of Mobility advanced that foreseeably The Digitalization Support Office will be opened in the first half of 2025, which will serve as an information and advice point for local entities in Castilla y León, regarding connectivity and telecommunications infrastructure. Specifically, he explained that it will support town councils and provincial councils in the implementation of projects and will offer specialized technological training and support content for ICT managers in local administrations.
Finally, Sanz Merino took advantage of his speech to demand from the Government that allocates its own budget for improving Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) coverage and for the extension of broadband and 5G, since he stated that they are essential aspects to make territorial cohesion effective and address the demographic challenge in Castilla y León.