Line 9 of TRAM Alicante between Dénia and Benidorm is finally fully open
After more than six years, Dénia is now linked to Benidorm and ultimately to the provincial capital Alicante by train after the final stretch is re-opened after renovation.
Tuesday 17th January 2023
Mike Smith
At 10.50am on Monday 16th January 2023, a Line 9 train left the terminus at Dénia in the direction of Benidorm after an official inauguration marking the final conclusion of the work on this vital link between the capital of the Marina Alta and Alicante. The historic moment was attended by the president of Generalitat Valenciana, Ximo Puig, the mayor of Dénia, Vicent Grimalt, the mayor of Gata de Gorgos, Josep Francesc Signes, the mayor of Benissa, Arturo Poquet, as well as members of the council at Teulada.
Line 9 of the TRAM d’Alacant network links Dénia to Benidorm from where a connecting service Line 1 can be used to travel further south into Alicante. This stretch serving the northern coastal area of the Alicante Province was closed more than six years ago due to concerns over safety and the need to upgrade and modernise the infrastructure. Residents in the Marina Alta and Marina Baixa regions had to use a not-so-temporary replacement bus service.
Related Link: Almost there! Final rail stretch from Gata to Dénia undergoes evaluation tests
In late July 2022, the stretch between Teulada and Gata de Gorgos was re-opened and this week, after a period of tests, the final leg between Gata and Dénia is finally open for business. The president of the Generalitat was the first passenger to arrive from Teulada, taking the 09:30 train with the delegation of mayors to arrive in Dénia aboard one of the new units that have been purchased to provide an improved service on the route.
The official inauguration was held at the terminal station in Dénia, a ceremony which was also attended by the Minister for Territorial Policy, Rebeca Torró, who said that the return of the train service to Dénia was “a highly anticipated moment” for the residents of the Marina Alta and Marina Baixa, claiming that it will serve around 300,000 residents, a figure that is likely to rise to 800,000 during the summer season. She added that the improvement works had been made possibly due to an investment of more than 150 million euros by the regional government.
Related Link: L9 FGV line resumes service between Teulada and Gata de Gorgos this week
The minister also highlighted the commitment of the regional government to improve public transport in the Comunidad Valenciana to try and change the way of travelling around the region, prioritizing collective transport over individual methods, adding that she was well aware that this was a complicated situation for the Marina Alta. To address the issue, she said that the regional government would continue to work on policies and projects that will allow cities and towns in the region to achieve an integrated efficient transport network based on a more rational use of space.
Dénia mayor Vicent Grimalt recalled the moment that the news of the closure of the line in the summer of 2016 being received “like a jug of cold water being poured over me” for it reminded him of the closure of the train service between Dénia and Gandía in 1975. He appreciated that the closure of Line 9 was due to the danger that the journey posed to travellers since the infrastructure was much overdue modernization but that “despite much speculation and doubts”, it has finally re-opened.
Related Link: TRAM d’Alacant – Official Site (English)
The mayor admitted that the train is not providing a service to do business in Alicante – it takes three hours to reach the provincial capital – but that it is a service that supports the region and will be very important for those travelling to medical services and schools, as well for short connections between towns in the Marina Alta and the Marina Baixa.
The president of the Generalitat, Ximo Puig, closed the ceremony by backing up the comments of the mayor of Dénia in that the service linking the capital of the Marina Alta unites the whole region, allowing daily trips between the municipalities and developing what urban transport should be providing.
The service between Dénia and Benidorm has now re-opened after closure in the summer of 2016. The first train to the internationally-popular Costa Blanca resort leaves at 05:50 with departures on every hour until 21:40.
Original Article (Xàbia AL DÍA): Los trenes de la Línea 9 del Tram de Alicante ya circulan desde Dénia a Benidorm
