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The Tavernes Blanques - Natzaret metro line is a partially completed future tram and metro line which will form part of Metrovalencia in the city of Valencia, Spain. Though sections of the line have been built, with the part north of the city centre already used by Line 6, a lack of available funds as a result of the Spanish economic crisis have led to work being halted on the remaining sections. From 2007 until 2014, the line was designated as line 2. However, in November 2014, this designation was given to a branch of the existing Line 1, effective from April 2015.
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Route
The planned route will run from Tavernes Blanques in the north to the Natzaret district in the south via the City of Arts and Sciences. Passing through the district of Orriols, it will follow the current Line 6 as far as Alfauir station, after which it will enter the north-south tunnel at Pont de Fusta. There will be underground stops in Valencia's old town at the Serrano Towers (under the old riverbed), Carme and the central market (Mercat station) before reaching the current main train station at Xàtiva. Thereafter it will link with the future central station. It will then continue underground along Avenida del Regne de València, turning right into Luís de Santángel and General Urrutia with an underground station at Germans Maristes, reaching the surface again near the crossroads of General Urrutia/Avenida de la Plata. From there it will run on the surface to the Science City, and the Natzaret neighbourhood.
History
Construction began in January 2007 and the first sections of the line north of the city centre were completed later that year and put into use as part of Line 6 on 28 September 2007. The remaining sections were intended to be completed by 2010. However work was eventually halted as funding ran out. In an interview in December 2011, Isabel Bonig, the regional minister responsible, stated that completion would be impossible without external help, for example from the central government. The cost of completing the remaining sections was estimated at 160 million euros.
As of May 2012, 5.2 kilometres of the southern route had been completed between Natzaret and Calle Alicante, near the main train station. This included a 2.3 km underground section. However a half kilometre of overground track in this section had not yet been completed, including the Germans Maristes station. Between Calle Alicante and the Serranos Towers, only the Mercat station had been completed in the old town.
In May 2012, accidents suffered by pedestrians on the metro bridge over the railway line near the district of Natzaret and flooding of the tunnel already completed on Avenida Regne de València forced the Council of infrastructure to ask for tenders for the maintenance, inspection and cleaning of the sections already completed. The cost of this for six months is estimated to be 264,359 euros plus VAT. In November 2012, Bonig admitted that it was doubtful that Line 2 would be completed in 2013 as the required funds were not yet available. In January 2014, she said that completion of the line was a financial impossibility before the Valencian regional elections scheduled to be held by May 2015.
In July 2015, it was estimated that 190 million euros would be required to complete the line. The cost of maintaining the sections already built was 400,000 euros per year.
As of October 2015, spending on the line totalled 195 million euro. 51 million had been spent on the Mercat station with the rest on the tram line between the proposed Natzaret station and Calle Alicante. In that month, the regional government began removing the rails which had been installed on the surface to avoid traffic accidents. To complete the Natzaret to Calle Alicante section, 100 million euro was needed as of August 2015.