Little green train, off to the process for the birth of the Foundation: "Essential to promote the territory"

«The Green Train Foundation will be an essential tool to mark a new era in the Sardinian tourist railways and give back to the territories the promotion, choices and management of the initiatives of the historic train of Sardinia». Thus the regional councilor for transport, Antonio Moro , during a meeting today in Cagliari with the mayors of the green train network, which was also attended by the leaders of Arst and the president of Anci Sardegna, Emiliano Deiana.

Councilor Moro recalled, with an amendment connected to the budget law, the regional council has started the process for the birth of the "historical green train of Sardinia" foundation which will have to be set up by the Arst to " protect, recover, enhance and promote – for tourism, cultural purposes and promotion of inland areas – the tourist railway infrastructural network and the related historical rolling stock , through the creation of an efficient and participatory management system, shared by the local authorities».

«There will be a direct involvement of the Municipalities - underlined the exponent of the Giunta Solinas - and the Foundation will work in close collaboration with all the stakeholders . The Region will have control over the management of the service and will have to identify the strategic choices, also with a view to obtaining state and community funding, which otherwise would not be accessible. The Foundation will thus have resources available to reinvest to enhance the territories and the regional historical railway heritage".

There are four lines of the green train, for a total of 437 kilometres: Mandas-Arbatax (158 km), Isili-Sorgono (82 km), Macomer-Bosa (48 km) and Sassari-Tempio-Palau (149 km). This year major maintenance work is planned for all the lines, with ongoing and planned investments of 13 million euros by Arst and 62 million by the Italian railway network (RFI). The new season will start on April 25th on the Macomer-Tresnuraghes.

«A working group will soon be set up for the guidelines of the main actions of the Foundation and for the drafting of the Statute, which will include representatives of Arst, the Region and Anci Sardegna, and a mayor for each of the hypothesized associations of Municipalities of the four sections of the green train», concluded councilor Moro.

(Unioneonline/vl)