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12.5 million euros to boost high-speed rail at Alicante station

Yesterday, Tuesday 1st April, the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility was given permission by the Council of Ministers to contract for €12.5 million (VAT excluded) to undertake extra work to improve high-speed rail at the Alicante station and solidify the province as a major hub in the Mediterranean Corridor. As part of the ongoing work to add six extra tracks to the current four, this contract will modify the control, command, and signalling systems at Alicante Terminal station to accommodate the future configuration of standard-gauge tracks.

The Alicante terminal will have ten standard-gauge tracks overall, making it one of the stations on the railway network with the most when the work is finished. The completion of the track expansion projects is made possible by the adaptation of these facilities, which are involved in rail traffic regulation. With a €20.2 million investment (VAT included), work recently started. The project’s current tasks include locating the points to be addressed (layout) on the track and platforms, along with topographical verifications of the track bed; laying out the pile foundations for the sound-absorbing screen on the station’s mountainside; identifying and inspecting the control, command, and signalling and telecommunications facilities; and renovating the auxiliary facilities area.

According to ministry sources in a statement, the goal is to expand the station’s ability to manage high-speed and standard-gauge traffic, both locally and over medium- and long-distance distances, solidifying the capital of Alicante as a key location in the Mediterranean Corridor. Given the Madrid-Alicante High-Speed Line’s (LAV) potential under rail liberalisation, which includes new operators and traffic, as well as the Valencia-Alicante section’s and the Encina Junction’s eventual conversion to standard gauge, it is imperative that the terminal have enough capacity to accommodate the anticipated rail services.

A new configuration for the track


The station will eventually have 10 standard-gauge tracks (by building 4 new ones and converting 2 to conventional gauge) with 5 platforms and 4 conventional-gauge tracks with 2 platforms, making use of the area between the long-distance and medium-distance/commuter tracks. Track work (new tracks, track gauge adaptation, route modification, switch installation), platforms (adaptation, remodelling, and new construction), and electrification (installation of 25 kV power lines on the new standard-gauge tracks, electrification for the high-speed network, complete electrification of the conventional-gauge tracks, and new energy remote control) are among the ongoing projects (the layout report was signed in February).

In addition, facilities for rail operators (such as new check-in counters and maintenance rooms) will be deployed, and the passenger building’s functionality will be enhanced to accommodate the increasing ridership. Along with rearranging and expanding access to the commuter rail area, acoustic barriers will be installed in both the north and south zones. Three railway lines currently meet at Alacant Terminal station: the conventional gauge Alicante-El Reguerón (connection to Murcia), La Encina-Alicante (connection to Albacete/València), and the Madrid-Alicante high-speed rail line, which connects to the Monforte del Cid-Murcia high-speed rail line. Three platforms serve two conventional gauge tracks and four standard gauge tracks for long-distance services. There are three stations and five Iberian gauge tracks for commuter and medium-distance rail services. The same sources suggest that the European Union’s Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) may co-finance these projects.

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Benidorm expects full accommodations to be packed this weekend due to Eurofans

Accommodations in Benidorm (Alicante) are expected to be nearly full, or “technically full,” this weekend due to the popularity of the Benidorm Fest, which has elevated the city to the status of a top-tier tourist destination for Europeans.

As a result, an increasing number of Eurovision fans are flocking to Benidorm to soak up the Eurovision vibe and watch the final on the large screens placed up throughout the town, as well as attend the many Euroclub events.

Israel Martínez, Director General of Tourism of the Generalitat (Catalan Government), revealed that there are “confirmed reservations for the weekend that exceed 85%,” but estimates that they will reach “100% in the city of Benidorm.”

Martínez, who travelled to Basel (Switzerland) with a delegation from the Benidorm Fest, highlighted the “deseasonalising effect” of both the music festival held in Benidorm between January and February, in the middle of the low season, and the Eurovision Song Contest itself, which many tourists choose to enjoy from Benidorm, transforming the Euroclub festivities into “a tourist phenomenon” and increasing hotel occupancy rates.

He also emphasised the “young” nature of the tourists who would visit Benidorm this weekend because of the Eurovision vibe it created in the city. In many cases, they are “new” tourists who were neither known nor devoted to the city but who, thanks to efforts like the Benidorm Fest or Eurovision broadcasts, discover the location and “get hooked,” he said. In reality, he emphasised that the Benidorm Festival and Eurovision are, in terms of visitor occupancy, “two phenomena that feed off each other and are closely linked” to the city.

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The Benidorm Fest delegation has organised a gala for this afternoon at 8 p.m. in Basel to promote the Benidorm festival and attract a European audience for the next edition.

According to Benidorm’s Head of Major Events, Jesús Carrobles, the 300 available seats for the gala have been totally sold out. While many Eurofans in Basel have shown interest in attending, the venue is currently “full.”

This event, in addition to advertising the upcoming edition of the Benidorm Fest and tourism sites in the Valencian Community, will feature performances by previous editions’ performers, including Mawot, Kuve, and Kingdom.


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Six-year prison sentence for sexual assault of young woman upheld in Elche

The owner of a bar, sentenced to six years in prison for a sexual assault committed in his business against a 36-year-old drunken client, will remain in prison after the Criminal and Civil Chamber of the TSJ dismissed the appeal filed against the sentence of Section XI of the Elche Court that found him guilty, and sentencing him to a supervised measure for ten years to be executed once the sentence is served and not to approach the victim within 500 metres of the same.

The events took place in the early morning of May 31st, 2023. Hours earlier, the victim, her father, and some friends had gone to a bar after supper at another location, where they had consumed many glasses of wine and an alcoholic cocktail. She was enjoying a beer with her father when the incident occurred, and he then left. The proprietor and defendant in these proceedings then served her another one without her asking, at a table where she sat with three others. Finally, the young woman was left alone, and the bar closed. At the moment, the young woman was under the influence of alcohol, according to the verdict.

The owner opened the door again and asked her inside. “Taking advantage of the drunkenness she was in, which prevented her from effectively defending herself, and despite her telling him not to do that, the defendant knocked her to the floor and, saying ‘ I have to do it, I have to do it, ‘ he placed himself on top of her, without (the woman) being able to do anything to prevent him, other than putting her hands in front of her, as if trying to push him away,” as well as sexually assaulting her and ejaculating inside He then provided two beers and one to the woman, adding whisky and they both left the premises. He attempted to kiss her, but she declined.

The defence used security camera footage to dispute the victim’s testimony and determine that the evidence was misconstrued, claiming that the young woman was not inebriated. The Supreme Court rejected this claim, citing its own decision from Section XI, which stated that “viewing the recording allows us to corroborate the facts.” We can see that the complainant is not in very good shape, staggering, how she enters with her after closing the door, how the accused disappears from the screen and reappears without trousers (…) Also, as they say farewell, she rejects the accused’s kissing attempts.”


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A young man is beaten, robbed, and then fled on the Muchavista promenade in El Campello

In a joint operation by the Local Police and the Guardia Civil, three young males were arrested for attacking and robbing a young guy walking along El Campello’s Muchavista promenade.

According to municipal sources, security officers were mobilised after getting a phone call from a neighbour informing them of the event, which occurred around 3:15 a.m. Wednesday, May 14th.

The homeowner of Avenida Jaume I told the local police that she had witnessed three young males attacking and taking the things of another man as he walked along the Muchavista seafront towards the town centre.


According to the same sources, the young man continued on his route after being attacked, despite being in pain and terrified, while the perpetrators walked towards Alicante.

A few minutes later, a local police patrol found the victim near the Guardia Civil barracks. Civil Guard officers treated the young man after he sobbed and explained what had happened, while local police proceeded to Paseo de Muchavista.

They noticed four persons walking fast through the tunnel that connects the promenade to Calle Velázquez. The chase commenced, and considering the number of people to be pursued, a Civil Guard patrol was called for assistance.

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After everyone was detained, a local police officer discovered the stolen things (including their cell phone) in the sand, which they dropped as they noticed the patrol car approaching.

The Guardia Civil responded swiftly to the victim, who recognised the perpetrators. The three males were detained for robbery with violence and assault.

According to the young man, one of the inmates grabbed his neck and threw him to the ground before beating him, while the other two immobilised him and took everything he was carrying.

The fourth individual engaged was a woman who did not directly participate in the acts and was therefore not detained.

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