The Municipal Plenary has unanimously approved requesting this review, arguing that the land reserves and the route defined in 2010 no longer align with the current needs of the Pla de Bages, which has undergone significant changes in the last 16 years.
The original route contemplated the infrastructure passing through the area of the Torroella de Baix neighborhood and the les Brucardes zone, heading towards Manresa via Viladordis and under the Sant Joan de Déu Hospital.
As an alternative, the City Council proposes studying a route through the northeast of the municipality. This option would bring the train closer to the main populated areas and business zones of the Pla de Bages, connecting them with Lleida, Girona, and the ports of Barcelona and Tarragona.
The municipal proposal suggests a route parallel to the road's Transversal Axis, heading towards the Santa Anna industrial estate up to the vicinity of l'Agulla. Under this plan, the Santa Anna lands could host a freight station, and the area around l'Agulla a passenger stop for the entire region, linking with Manresa via the "Bages metro".
According to the City Council, reviewing the route would improve freight transport and passenger mobility, fostering better connections between residential centers and economic activity hubs in Central Catalonia. It also proposes minimizing the environmental impact with underground or semi-underground sections and station locations that facilitate intermodality.
The original document from the Generalitat, initiated in 2005, already considered two alternative routes. The option approved in 2010 is the one now being questioned, while the second alternative pointed to the route the City Council wishes to revive.
Before the plenary approval, the proposal was shared with institutions such as the city councils of Santpedor, Artés, and Sallent, the Consell Comarcal del Bages, the Territorial Services in Central Catalonia, the Government Delegation, and the Directorate General of Railway Infrastructure (IFERCAT).
It was also shared with key business representatives, including the Manresa Chamber of Commerce, PIMEC Catalunya Central, and the APAES of Sant Fruitós de Bages, to open a debate on updating the railway project.
