The alliance between the Almeria Provincial Council and the Huércal-Overa Town Council has made the municipal dream of recovering the old railway station as the epicentre of outdoor leisure and sport a reality. The President of Almeria Provincial Council, Javier A. García, and the Mayor of Huercal, Domingo Fernández, have inaugurated this complex after the complete refurbishment of the Station, the Stop, the Toilets and the Water Storage Tower that presides over the Greenway of the municipality.
At the ceremony, which was also attended by Almeria Provincial Council members and councillors, the plaque was unveiled and the result of works financed by the Provincial Plans with an investment of 380,000 euros was presented.
The project has achieved the objective set by the Town Hall and Almeria Provincial Council of recovering this emblematic building for local residents and visitors, converting it into a unique space which is the starting point of the 13 kilometres of the Vía Verde.
The actions have consisted of the rehabilitation of the headquarters of the Railway Station for the commissioning of a Bar – Restaurant that is functioning to serve residents, users of the track and also tourists; as well as the Apeadero as future headquarters of the C.D Almanzora and also for cultural use; and the recovery of the Water Storage Tower as an ornamental element and the implementation of some toilets.
In short, this work has managed to return to the people of Huercal the use of a historical and monumental space and aims to establish itself as the starting point of a sports complex that the Town Hall wants to promote with the Greenway as the main attraction.
The president of the Almeria Provincial Council, Javier A. García, stressed the importance of this project: «We are proud to have been part of a project that enhances one of Huércal-Overa’s monuments and that will create and improve services so that both residents and tourists can enjoy first-class facilities. We have one of the most important Greenways in Andalusia and what these actions do is to promote and reconvert services that are in disuse while boosting the economy of the municipality.
Javier A. García highlighted the value of provincial investments because they allow municipalities to promote actions that would be very difficult to undertake on their own, and he recalled the importance of measures such as deducting the municipalities’ contributions from their contributions. «The municipality of Huércal-Overa continues to grow because every day more and better services and infrastructure are improved thanks to institutional collaboration and the support of the Almeria Provincial Council».
For his part, the mayor of Huércal-Overa highlighted «the commitment of both institutions to the rehabilitation of this emblematic area of the municipality», recalling that this action has the cession of the Adif spaces that «always supported and believed in this project».
In addition to the initial project, a municipal action has improved the surroundings with an investment of 40,000 euros. The Town Council is «satisfied with the result of this project, which has also added a new catering service, creating jobs in the municipality». A wagon on loan from the Fundación de los Ferrocarriles Españoles (Spanish Railway Foundation) has been installed to welcome visitors to the Vía Verde.
The Huércal-Overa railway station closed its doors on 1 January 1985 when the train stopped passing through the municipality. The workers of this station have a memorial in the station with a plaque with the names of all of them. Antonio Pérez Zurano, who worked on the railway line for 42 years, was present at today’s ceremony.