Unanimous outcry from farmers and property owners in La Marjal against the train from Sa Pobla to Alcudia

Sa PoblaBetween 250 and 300 people gathered this Thursday in the town hall square in Sa Pobla to protest their resounding rejection of the two routes proposed by the Ministry of Housing, Territory, and Mobility to extend the train from the town to Port d'Alcúdia. "It's totally absurd, unnecessary, and it was done without speaking to anyone in the town," said María, one of the attendees at the rally.

Precisely, one of the main complaints of the residents gathered this Thursday is the fact that the Government has made a project that ignores "the territory, the landscape and the affection that we as townspeople have for the environment of our town. La Marjal is our soul, and it cannot be simply carved up from an office in Palma, without having, one of the organizers of the concentration.

The participants in the event have read a manifesto that is very critical of the project. They have described it as "void of sensitivity and of knowing what we as townspeople truly are." "We are here to say no and noto the two routes proposed by the Ministry of Mobility. They are not ours, we do not identify with them," they insisted. The manifesto drew loud applause from those present, among whom were many property owners who will see their properties covered: "We have preserved it for generations, and besides, there are alternatives," an idea they repeated in the assembly.

One of the most intense moments of the demonstration was when the residents' spokespersons made it clear that the project not only does not respond to the general interests of Sa Pobla, but that - they said - "there are four people who want to get rich from this project, who have never watered a vegetable garden or climbed a fig tree, or rolled a row, or rolled a sunset; they want to mark our future," said Pere Perelló, reading the manifesto.

Along these lines, other residents explained to ARA Baleares: "We need our city council to say no to such a high price. We want public transportation, but not at the cost of destroying the Marjal," said residents who were visibly concerned. "We don't intend to take a single step back in defense of our history and our landscape," they said.

More than 140 affected

The ARA Baleares Association has had the opportunity to tour some of the properties that will be affected by the railway's route, which total around 140 between the two routes proposed by the Catalan government. Toni, a resident who will see his property covered, states that "it's incomprehensible why this destruction would be done to a section as far as Alcudia. There are a thousand alternatives, such as increasing bus frequencies by installing shuttles from the train to Alcudia and the port, which, furthermore, is much more efficient because the train only goes to one point." He also stated that "tunnels have to be built here, and of course, this moves money, which is what it's all about. I don't know why, in the worst case scenario, a route closer to the main road isn't built and so much land in Sa Pobla has to be destroyed," he lamented. Those affected explained that they are forming a platform "that calls for sanity and restraint," in the words of one of its promoters, Pere Perelló.

At the end of the rally, the mayor of Sa Pobla, Biel Ferragut, spoke: "It affects our municipality, our land, and our people," he said, emphasizing that there are alternatives that could be improved and agreed upon. "We will not sit idly by in any way, and we will convey all concerns and alternative proposals to the Balearic Islands Government. We have asked the experts to come to Sa Pobla to explain the project," he stated. The mayor of the municipality wanted to make it clear: "The City Council will represent the affected residents, and we will demand less impactful solutions."

The citizens present have asked the City Council and the Government—promoting the project through SFM—to preserve the Marjal and propose replacing the railway project with a tram, "since it would destroy less land and have a smaller impact."