There is still about a year for the Lemon Express to resume its march. Of course, this means this very peculiar transportation will change its original itinerary significantly  between Benidorm and Gata de Gorgos. In fact, the starting point for the tourist train will be moved from Benidorm to L’Alfàs del Pi.

Once the renovation is completed of the Alicante-Denia line to Benidorm- which is scheduled to be finished in a month it will have increased activity because it will be the new point of trans boarding of passengers who continue the journey towards Denia in the diesel Convoys or those from the capital of Marina Alta and who will continue to Alicante on TRAM trains.

Currently, they have already completed the repair of 24 of the trains the classic one, a prerequisite for the Lemon Express to be able to circulate again, after temporarily ceasing its activities in May 2005.

Except at the point of departure, the new Lemon Express recovers its traditional route as regards tourism. This service is provided under concession stations between Benidorm and Gata de Gorgos, from Tuesday to Saturday.

Over the 40 miles the train runs through a wide range of landscapes, from the plains between Altea and Benidorm until the cliffs of the Sierra Bernia and Barranco del Mascarat, Peñón de Ifach, among other areas in the interior of the Marina Alta. The trip to to the final destination used to be done at a slower speed than the return trip so the travelers could enjoy the most spectacular reference points of the scenery.

source Las Provincias

Photo from Flickr by sergial

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The TRAM- trains that up to this date only covered the trajectory between Alicante and the station in the Creueta, in the Vila, will get to Benidorm before Easter.
It seems, so far there is no inauguration date for the new stretch, although everything is indicating that it will be at the end of February or beginning of March. As a matter of fact next month it is anticipated that they will start to circulate the new test runs units of the TRAM-train between La Vila and Benidorm.

The new convoys will invest in covering the trajectory between Alicante-Benidorm in just 55 minutes, which supposes around a quarter of an hour and 20 minutes less that what it takes up to the moment in normal conditions.

When the new stretch is open, the line will also make a stip in front of the Comarcal de La Vila hospital, Terra Mitica and center Benidorm.

The last phase of remodeling the trenet will affect the Benidorm-Altea stretch, that will not be completed until the en of 2008 or beginning of 2009.

source Terra Actualidad

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Only four large cities in the Costa Blanca were saved last year from a demographic decline in the Valencia region, specifically Benidorm, Denia, Elda and Alcoy, according to final data from the Municipal census offered by the National Statistics Institute (INE).

In order of growth are Denia and Benidorm, which in 2006 won a 2.7 and a 2.1% population growth-compared to 2.4 and 0.2% from a year earlier, in addition to Elda and Alcoy that maintained their population they only grew by 0.3 and 0.2% - but they didn’t lose population as they did in 2005.

The population growth in the Valencia region during 2006, which was 1.6% (one third lower than in the previous year) mainly benefited the middle-sized cities-or population between 20,000 and 30,000.

Nine of the 12 municipalities that more populated during 2006, among the 58  which have more than 20,000 neighbors in the Comunitat are of average size. Among these dozen, only Gandia, which grew by 3.5%, Sant Vicent de Raspeig (3.4%) and Orihuela (3.2%) are big cities.

Onda, with a rate of 7.2%, was the town that grew most among the  58 most populated of the Valencian Community. Other cities who also enjoyed growth were Santa Pola, Mutxamel, Almassora and Calpe.

Source Levante EMV-Way

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