Barcelona is at the centre of a new call from leading Catalan civil engineers for a major overhaul of the region’s infrastructure. In a joint opinion piece published today in La Vanguardia, they argue that Catalonia needs a clearer long-term plan, inspired by Ildefons Cerdà, whose work is being marked this year.
The engineers say major projects have been delayed for too long because of a lack of consensus and a fear of conflict. They argue that Catalonia has lost the habit of thinking ambitiously about its future, and they are calling for a national debate on infrastructure that looks 50 years ahead.
Their criticism comes as the Rodalies commuter rail system continues to face problems since January. They say the current road and rail networks are not enough, and that long-pending projects need clear priorities and proper planning from both the regional Department of Territory and the national Ministry of Transport.
The signatories include Pere Calvet, dean of the Col·legi d’Enginyers de Camins, Canals i Ports, along with Ángel Simón, José Alberto Carbonell, Xavier Flores, Joan Franco, Jordi Julià, Pere Macias, Joan Molins, Felip Puig, Esther Real and Andreu Ulied. The article says all of them have received the Cerdà Medal during their careers.
They want a full update of Rodalies, completion of the L9 Metro and the L8 Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat extensions, and better connectivity, and if needed expansion, of El Prat Airport and the Port of Barcelona. They also call for the Ronda del Vallès to be unblocked, which would advance the B-40 motorway between Terrassa and Sabadell, and for long-overdue improvements to the AP-7, which is often at or beyond capacity.
The engineers say this list of projects reflects a document previously sent to Salvador Illa, then a candidate for the Generalitat presidency, by professional associations of civil and industrial engineers. Their aim is to push civil society and political parties towards a shared plan for Catalonia’s transport and urban systems. For more Barcelona coverage, see our Community and Sport pages.
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