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ARCHIVED - 1.2 million euros for Cieza-Jumilla greenway project
The path follows the trackbed of an old railway which closed down 50 years ago
The regional government of Murcia is reported to be investing just under 1.2 million euros in the first phase of a new greenway project in the north of the Region, consisting of a 14-kilometre route covering part of the distance between Cieza and Jumilla.
As with many other greenway projects in Spain the “Vía Verde del Chicharra” takes advantage of the trackbed of a no longer used railway line. In this case the line concerned was known as the “chicharra” (cicada) and at one point connected Cieza with Gandía in the province of Valencia, passing through Jumilla and Yecla on the way.
The first stretch of the line was opened in 1884 between Villena and Bañeres with the purpose of transporting wine and other goods from the port of Alicante to inland areas. However, more and more passengers used the service and this soon became the main source of income on the route, all the more so when it was extended to reach Yecla and then, in 1924, Jumilla and Cieza. At this point, although trains travelled at no more than 20 km/h, it was the main means of transport for people travelling from Jumilla and Yecla to the city of Murcia, but eventually the motor car took over and the last train ran 50 years ago, on 1st July 1969, as debts crippled the management company.
Now, though, half a century later, the route is to be re-opened and added to a greenway project which was completed in the province of Alicante in 2007 and which is renowned for the spectacular views as it proceeds through tunnels and over bridges. The Murcia section is beginning at the southern end in Cieza, where the land all belongs to the Town Hall and features include the construction of a 40-metre bridge over the Rambla del Judío – the rail bridge collapsed years ago during flooding.
This first phase of the work on the greenway is scheduled to last 8 months and eventually the entire route will be 71 kilometres long.
Image 1: part of the “Vía Verde de la Chicharra” in Alicante
Image 2: the route of the old Cieza-Gandía railway line