La Mancha Residents Protest Isolation Over New AVE Route. The AVE high-speed rail project for Jaén has sparked protests in La Mancha. Local residents fear the loss of railway connections. Authorities are considering alternative routes and promise to take regional interests into account.
In the central regions of Castilla-La Mancha, discontent is growing over the AVE high-speed rail project, which is set to connect Jaén with Madrid via a bypass in Montoro (Córdoba). Around twenty local organizations and municipalities are demanding that the government change the route to prevent the region’s transport isolation. They insist that the line should follow the existing corridor through Despeñaperros and Alcázar de San Juan, which they believe would offer better connectivity for La Mancha and northern Andalusia.
According to representatives of the platform defending the central La Mancha railway, the proposed Montoro bypass would leave many areas without access to high-speed trains. Activists stress that the route through Alcázar de San Juan and Mora (Toledo) would be easier to build, more cost-effective, more environmentally friendly, and would reduce travel times. In support of this position, a mass rally is already scheduled in Alcázar de San Juan on June 20, with the CC OO union joining in to demand the fulfillment of previous commitments to develop railway infrastructure.
In January, the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility began preparing a feasibility study to improve Jaén’s access to the AVE network. The project anticipates an investment of around 400 million euros and the construction of a bypass in the area of Montoro, Pedro Abad, and Adamuz, where the Madrid–Seville line would connect with the conventional Córdoba–Jaén branch. According to ministry estimates, this would reduce the travel time between Jaén and Madrid by more than 50 minutes, bringing it down to approximately three hours. However, officials note that the final route selection will only be made after all studies are completed, since the difference in socioeconomic efficiency between the options is minimal.
Within Jaén and neighboring regions, the bypass project has not received unanimous support. Jaén’s city council has approved an initiative prioritizing the route via Mora and Alcázar de San Juan, considering it more advantageous and sustainable. Jaén’s Economic and Social Council also supports this option, noting it would reduce travel time to two and a half hours. Opponents of the Montoro bypass point to the complexity and high cost of implementation, as well as the risk of losing Jaén’s existing connections with Albacete, Murcia, and Valencia, which currently run through Alcázar de San Juan.
Historically, Jaén and La Mancha have already faced similar problems: in 1992, the Madrid–Seville AVE line bypassed these areas, and in 2010, the Madrid–Levante AVE route went through Cuenca instead of central La Mancha. A similar situation is unfolding with the future lines to Almería and Granada. Local activists point out that the new project may worsen transport isolation and widen the gap between regions.
In recent months, dozens of municipalities and regional authorities have adopted resolutions in support of the route through Mora and Alcázar de San Juan. Among them are the cities of Jaén, Linares, Consuegra, Valdepeñas, Alcázar de San Juan, as well as provincial and regional parliaments. The president of Castilla-La Mancha, Emiliano García-Page, has also voiced his support for this initiative. According to RUSSPAIN, speed restrictions for AVE had previously been introduced in the Castilla y León region due to infrastructure works, highlighting the importance of choosing the optimal route for sustainable development of the railway network (more details on the situation with AVE restrictions).
For reference: the AVE network is one of the largest in Europe, but the distribution of routes often sparks disputes between regions. The question of which option will connect Jaén with Madrid remains open and directly impacts transport accessibility for dozens of cities in central Spain.
