The towns in the north of Madrid that have been fighting for 15 years for a Cercanías that does not arrive: "We have to act as taxi drivers"

In the northern area of San Sebastián de los Reyes they have a dream: for the train to arrive. In this way, hundreds of people would save trips that they are now forced to make in their personal vehicles.. It's not a crazy idea. Even Adif has projected it on several occasions and at different times. However, the reality is very different.. The train is not there, but it is expected. For this reason, Santiago López has started an online signature collection campaign to demand the extension of the Cercanías line C4-a to reach Algete and San Agustín de Guadalix.

“There are people here who take their children to university every day to Getafe, and then they pick them up,” is the first thing this neighbor from an urbanization north of San Sebastián de los Reyes says.. “Since these types of things happen, this Cercanías is absolutely necessary,” adds the affected person.. Your anger is increasing if you think that since 2008 the Community of Madrid requested the then Ministry of Public Works to expand the railway network..

The response did not take long to wait.. In May 2009, the Cercanías Railway Infrastructure Plan for Madrid 2009-2015 included the extension of Line C-4 from Alcobendas/SS. from los Reyes to San Agustín de Guadalix and Algete via double electrified track with five new stations: Plaza Norte, SS. de los Reyes Norte, Algete, Ciudalcampo/Santo Domingo and San Agustín de Guadalix.

Two years later, in September 2011, the Ministry of Public Works awarded the drafting of the informative study for the extension of Cercanías to Algete with a budget of 838,636.49 euros to determine the most appropriate road layout alternatives for the extension of the line. C-4 from Alcobendas/SS. of the Kings to San Agustín de Guadalix y Algete.

Just one year later, the Infrastructure, Transport and Housing Plan 2012-2024 was presented, a review of the strategy for 2005-2020, within which another roadmap was framed for Cercanías railway constructions in Madrid, between 2009 and 2015.. “Here they stop mentioning the extension of line C-4 from Alcobendas/SS. of the Kings to San Agustín de Guadalix and Algete,” says López.

Meetings denied

On the other hand, the Minister of Development at that time, Ana Pastor, stated in the Congress of Deputies that the project for the extension of the Cercanías service was being prepared almost a year later.. “The thing was stopped for two more years, until the Algete City Council sent a letter to the Ministry to request a meeting and see how the pertinent studies are going,” explains this aggrieved neighbor..

Given that inaction, in April 2016, 15 municipalities in the northwest of the region met in Algete and signed a letter addressed to the Ministry requesting a meeting.. Silence was the answer. November arrived and the City Council tried again, but nothing. A month later, it was the Community of Madrid that demanded that the Ministry address this issue..

“We had to pressure the Community of Madrid to actively take our side and demand a response from the Government,” emphasizes López.. In this way, they achieved that in April 2017 the General State Budgets included an investment item of 52.2 million euros, destined for the drafting of studies and projects for the expansion and development of the service, among which are the informative studies for the extension of the Cercanías network to San Agustín de Guadalix, Algete and Mejorada del Campo.

The missing survey

In December 2017, the Ministry of Public Works announced that the studies were very advanced. With bulls and marches in between to put pressure on a social level, April 2018 arrives, a key moment: the Ministry of Public Works made the construction of the new roads and stations subject to the demand they had, according to a survey that they would present at the end of 2019. That never happened. The arrival of the pandemic added to the delay in the presentation of the results. “And we still have to go on the A-1 highway, always saturated at rush hour and through which 150,000 vehicles pass every day,” López complains..

Likewise, this neighbor demands that the Community of Madrid inform them of who carried out this survey and how, what its technical details are.. “There are several administrations involved here, and wherever there is a problem in which they can accuse each other, they are going to do it,” says this resident of the northern area of San Sebastián de los Reyes.. “The obvious thing is that when our children reach an age, we have to put on our caps and act as taxi drivers.”. We not only need public transport for the movement of adults, but also for the autonomy of the youngest,” he summarizes..

From local to regional and state politics

Sergio Velasco is councilor spokesperson for Neighbors for Algete, who also fights for the train to reach his town. The extension of the Cercanías, if it comes to fruition, would benefit different municipalities. Although at the moment it is all assumptions, this member of the Consistory explains the two branches that would be built: a stop at the Infanta Sofía Hospital and also at the Plaza Norte shopping center until reaching a fork at the height of the Jarama River.. In this way, the train would reach San Agustín de Guadalix with stops in Santo Domingo and Ciudalcampo; and to Algete with stops at industrial estates.

The thousands of inhabitants of the affected municipalities continue to mobilize. The usual thing is that they have the support of their town councils, all of them going together to demand a quality public transport service.. “We who are neighborhood parties do not have much of a problem, but formations with older brothers in the Government of the Community of Madrid or the State are not always understood as they should,” says Velasco..

Asked if he believes that his wish will soon come true, the Neighbors councilor for Algete does not have too much hope: “Right now we see it very far away because we have not noticed interest on the part of the Ministry or the Community. “They have all been long”. Furthermore, in parallel to the projects that did include the extension of this line, the extension of the train to Soto del Real was also being studied, and right now that project is getting underway.. “They are luckier because they have built the infrastructure,” adds Velasco.. In the northern area of San Sebastián de los Reyes they have no choice but to take all the possible trains to achieve their goal..