Estimated 50.000 m2 more expropriations (land / property reclamations) needed for the Manacor-Artà train project.

Over 12% land consumption and 48 more affected properties to construct the railway, service roads, electricity transformers and car parking.

According to the BOIB published 14 July 2009 the Consejería de Movilidad y Ordenación del Territorio needs 50,000 square metres more than previously estimated to carry out the re-opening of the Manacor-Artà railway.

In total to carry out Manacor-Artà railway project they now need 458,441 square metres, not counting the temporary space occupation, almost 50.000 m2 more than the publicly announced figures of the BOIB on 30 November 2008.

Sant Llorenç (San Lorenzo) is the most affected area. According to the BOIB 2009 they need 149,940 square metres, in the BOIB 2008 it was 123,270. Therefore, now in Sant Llorenç they need 26,000 square metres more so that the train can pass through the town. In Sant Llorenç there are to be 34 newly affected properties.

Son Servera is the next most affected area in this new estimate. They now need some 20,000 square metres more. In total they need 106,973 square metres, whereas according to the BOIB of 30 November 2008 they needed 86,961. In Son Servera there will be 13 more properties affected.

Manacor is the second area with more square metres to expropriate after Sant Llorenç. They now need to reclaim 110,382 square metres which isn’t much different to the previously estimated 109,697 square metres. However, remember that in Manacor they still have to announce the expropriations necessary to connect the train from the Plaza Madrid, where the new station will be, to the old station to link it to Palma. This is a 3-kilometre stretch. The number of affected properties stays the same.

The difference in square metres in Artà is about 2,573, and now there are 91,146 square metres to expropriate. In November 2008 it was 88,573. In Artà there are 11 newly affected properties.

People who objected at the time do not know what has happened to these objections, nor what criteria have been followed to change the land expropriations. The list of affected, 30 November, haven’t received any answers from the Consejería de movilidad about these objections.

The details of expropriations can be consulted within 15 working days from the publication of the BOIB, 14 July, to see if more objections are needed. Counting Saturday as a working day, it´s not possible for staff of the SFM (Serveis Ferroviaris de Mallorca) or of the councils to go to consult the project.

Anti-Train Association recently published a summary of the environmental impact which concluded that the project is a permanent, irreversible and non-recoverable impact (http://alternativaaltren.blogspot.com/2009/07/la-vuelta-del-tren-manacor-arta-causara.html). Now we will have to review this report to include the extra 50,000 square metres they now need, to see what repercussions this will have on the environment, the economy and society. Also we need to know what criteria they have followed in accepting or rejecting our objections and how they justify that the project will now consume 50,000 square metros of land more in the Llevant region of Mallorca, which is a 12,24% increase on the original forecast.


This information contradicts what was said in the El Mundo newspaper in November 2008 when they explained that the figures would be reduced once the plans were more advanced (http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2008/10/30/baleares/1225407478.html).

NOTE: if anyone detects any small errors in the figures we would appreciate if you point them out to us at (alternativaaltren@gmail.com)

The return of the Manacor – Artà train would cause a permanent, irreversible and unrecoverable environmental impact.

With these words; irreversible, unrecoverable, permanent environmental impact, concludes the environment impact study of the re-opening project for the Manacor – Artá line. This notice has been publicly displayed in the offices of the (Serveis Ferroviaris de Mallorca) as mentioned in the BOIB of 24 February.

The Anti Train Association – Xarxa de Mobilitat de Llevant have fully analysed the re-opening of the Manacor – Artá railway project and wants the most significant impacts to be known to the public. The Study of environmental impact has been carried out by the company contracted by the Consejería de Movilidad y Ordenación del Territorio del Govern de las Illes Balears. The Association just wants the results to be available to the public, the environmental authorities and the media.

THE MOST SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS OF THE RE-OPENING OF THE

MANACOR – ARTÁ RAILWAY

CONSTRUCTION OF MORE ROADS & LANES

• There will have to be 46 roads and bylanes built according to the environmental impact study carried out by government engineers. According to our calculations this is equivalent to building 40 kilometres of new roadway.

DESTABILISATION & EROSION

• Possible destabilisation and subsidence are unfavourable for the construction of the railway.

• Risk of erosion and of instability of slopes, caused by land manipulation.

WATER: CONTAMINATIÓN & FLOW DISRUPTION

• Risk of contamination of aquifers.

• Disruption and depressurisation of waterways.

BIRD ELECTROCUTION

• Risk of electric shock to birds.

VISUALLY INTRUSIVE

• Impact on the countryside: alteration of landscape, aesthetically unappealing.

POORER AIR QUALITY

• Impact on the air quality, increase in the levels of emissions of contamination and dust.

SPECULATION & LACK OF MOBILITY

• Potential changes in the distribution of the population

• Impact on urban locations, alteration of urban paperwork.

• Increase in vehicular traffic

• Mobility effects. Effect of the barrier generated especially by railways. The interception points with the railway will increase access times between various areas, also the interceptions of lanes and roads with the railway will need altering, affecting transit in the area disrupting the normal activities of the people in the surrounding areas

MORE QUARRIES

• It will be necessary to bring 206.854,38m³ of earth and gravel from quarries in the area

DESTRUCTION OF THE FAUNA & FLORA

• Affected Fauna: 2 amphibians, 3 types of reptiles, 16 types of mammals and 53 classes of bird

• Destruction: partial or total removal of the soil layer

• Within the project’s reach there are 4 habitats of community interest

AGRICULTURE & NATURAL DISASTERS

• Permanent loss of productive and fertile ground

• Risk of flooding

• Distribution of species with high colonisation characteristics will alter the natural balance of the countryside

In the document in the following link (document in Castellano) the page numbers from where this information has been extracted have been rigorously noted.