ARCHIVED - Ticket office at Cieza railway station saved by the Teruel Existe political party

Keeping offices open at rural stations was one of the conditions for forming the new national government!

On 1st January the ticket office at the railway station in Cieza, in northern central Murcia, closed down, meaning that in order to travel locals had to buy tickets online, in the post office, in travel agencies or once on board the train itself, but just a week later it seems that it is about to re-open again in the near future as an unexpected consequence of the formation this week of a new national government in Spain.

In order for Pedro Sánchez to succeed in the presidential investiture debate and voting which were held on Tuesday it was necessary for him to win the support of numerous MPs representing not only his own PSOE party but also other groups, and one of those to back his candidacy was Tomás Guitarte. Sr Guitarte is the sole representative in Congress of Teruel Existe, a party representing the province of Teruel in the south of Aragón, which campaigns for efforts to protect those rural areas of Spain which are gradually being deserted as the population migrates towards large towns and cities.

Sr Guitarte’s vote on Tuesday was crucial in Pedro Sánchez securing a winning margin of 167-165 (he was subjected to extreme pressure to vote the other way, and a tie would not have allowed the formation of the new government), and as part of the deal he made with the PSOE a stay of execution was agreed on for the ticket offices in railway station with fewer than 100 passengers a day.

These offices are being shut down by Renfe to cut costs, and at present there are three such stations falling into the category specified by the railway management company in the Region of Murcia (among around 150 in the whole of Spain). These are the ones in Cieza, Torre Pacheco and Balsicas, with the official Renfe estimate at Cieza being that there are just 8 passengers a day using the station. The offices at Torre Pacheco and Balsicas have remained open for the time being, although in their place ticket dispenser machines are already installed.

For now, though, the future of these offices – and of the jobs they create by their very existence – has been guaranteed, at least for a few months, and Teruel Existe has scored a small success in its efforts to guarantee the survival of smaller communities in Spain.

Image: Google Maps

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