Vera – Cartagena toll road goes bankrupt and will be nationalised

The company behind the Vera – Cartagena toll road will be wound up and the road be nationalised, the state government has announced today. OK, the company itself went bankrupt a few years ago, but today any hope of rescue has been abandoned and the company will be closed down. In all, eight bankrupt toll roads across the country will be nationalised. In all, these roads owe the banks more than €3.4 billion. The state Continue reading Vera – Cartagena toll road goes bankrupt and will be nationalised

200 people in Cuevas lose homes for a new tortoise sanctuary

200 people in the Los Lobos area of Cuevas and Murcia stand to lose all they possess as a new natural park for tortoises is shifted to avoid expropriating farmland. The national government has been ordered by Brussels to declare a new National Park to allow the endangered local tortoise species to survive, after it ran the unnecessary and unbuilt AVE high speed trainline through the centre of their habitat. The AVE, along with the Continue reading 200 people in Cuevas lose homes for a new tortoise sanctuary

Cartagena toll road could be closed down

The Government has confirmed that it is prepared to close several toll roads if the operating companies eventually fold, including our local Vera-Cartagena road. The operating companies are all underwritten by the State, so if they fail ownership of these toll roads would go back to Madrid. These roads are all currently in bankruptcy proceedings, and their future is uncertain. The Vera-Cartagena road is almost certain to be liquidated by the Courts as it has Continue reading Cartagena toll road could be closed down

Local motorway A-7 may become toll for private users

The government has admitted it has “very advanced” plans to make a number of national motorways – including our own coastal motorway A-7 – toll roads in order to raise money for maintainence. The system would be similar to other EU countries such as France or Germany, where you buy an “intelligent sticker” to put in your car, which then ticks off money every time you go through a toll barrier. Only private users would Continue reading Local motorway A-7 may become toll for private users

Vera – Cartagena toll road in financial difficulties

Rumours abound that Aucosta, the company that has the lease to operate the Vera – Cartagena toll road, is losing so much money on it that it’s about to return the road, and the associated debts, back to the State. Aucosta projected that to break even, it needed 7,000 users a day on the road, and hoped for an average of about 10,000 on its business plan. It’s had an average, so far this year, Continue reading Vera – Cartagena toll road in financial difficulties

Vera-Cartagena tollroad operator arrested for stealing €30,000

One of the tollbooth operators on the Vera – Cartagena toll road has been arrested by the Vera Guardia Civil for stealing some €30,000 in tolls. Ginesa C.R., from Cuevas and working at the Vera end of the road, was arrested after a covert operation by the toll road owner discovered he was pocketing the (somewhat high) fees.