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 The people who make a difference in the Canary Islands Carlos Alonso Money man Although he was only appointed President of Metropolitano de Tenerife transport company last summer, Carlos Alonso was part of the project from the very beginning.  When the project was quite advanced, as a European Commission Civil Servant he had to go to Brussels for four years and on his return he was head-hunted by island president, Ricardo Melchior to head the project from a political point of view and expand the service. With the opening of the new line in this high population density area, an amazing 66 per cent of the residents of the Metropolitan area of Santa Cruz and La Laguna are within five minutes walking distance of a tram stop. Carlos believes that the tram will improve the neighbourhoods that it passes through and cause an urban rebirth of the areas. He was particularly pleased that the La Cuesta area now has a tram service again after a 50 year recess. He claims that homes with better accessibility will be revalued upwards, there will be more commerce and less traffic and the Metropolitan area as a whole will become more equal and balanced. He sees Tincer as the first stop in the expansion of the service and for the last six months as they finished the work on the second line, they have already got underway technical reports on the possible demand, returns, financial requirements from the authorities and costs of the work to extend the line to La Gallega, install a transverse line in the capital or extend Line number one to Los Rodeos. The Cabildo has a clear commitment to the tram system and it will continue to grow, what they have to do now is prioritise the next stage of work. He hopes that the financial situation will not affect the development of new guided transport projects in the island and sees the south and north train projects for example as, “an opportunity for the development of the island economy, reducing travel time, improving mobility and with all the benefits of sustainable development by reducing the consumption of fuel and the emission of greenhouse effect gases produced by private vehicles. “The Spanish government has invested five million euros this year which allows us to launch the drawing up of these projects with additional funds from the Cabildo so that the first part of the project can continue through to next summer. This first phase will see the initial plans and the environmental reports drawn up and further funds that we will be requesting from central government the following year will be used to finish the projects. That way by 2011 we will be able to send the project for the southern train out to tender. “For the northern train we are still in the early stages, looking at possible routes and investigating the option put forward by the mayors of the Isla Baja (far north west of the island) that the train should go through at least to Icod de los Vinos.” It’s something that requires a great deal of study, but once the decision is made and the funds obtained it is hoped and expected that the work could be carried out in parallel with the southern train as the route is much shorter and it should be possible for them to enter into service around the same time. Intersections with the tramlines are planned at the Santa Cruz tram and bus terminus, Los Rodeos airport and Padre Anchieta roundabout in La Laguna where the project for a new park and ride terminus is almost ready. Along with Canarian President, Paulino Rivero, Carlos believes that better accessibility will improve competitiveness and productivity and so he is delighted that another Cabildo initiative has also taken off, direct flights to Miami. A month before the flights were even due to begin the first six weeks of the operation was 70 per cent full and that’s without very much publicity as yet. “It’s something the Cabildo has publicly fought for and means that Tenerife is the second place in Spain after Madrid to have a direct connection with Miami. Apart from bringing us closer to America, it also gives more importance to the argument that Tenerife and the Canaries should be the bridge into Africa from Europe and the United States. So far Carlos has been successful in pulling the heart and purse strings of the European financial institutions in financing island projects. Long may he continue. By Sheila Collis This article appears in the print edition 592 of Island Connections
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