The government of José Luis Sanz responds to criticisms from the PSOE and assures that the integration of the Express Line into the tram-bus will improve the service. The council anticipates frequencies of seven minutes during peak hours and service from 6:00 to 23:30 every day.
Seville City Council has addressed the PSOE's criticisms regarding the reorganisation of public transport in Seville Este and has defended that the new tram-bus will represent a quality leap for the district's residents. According to municipal sources, the integration of the Express Line into the TB1 will allow for the doubling of vehicles in service and achieve frequencies of seven minutes during peak demand hours.
The local government firmly denies that cuts will occur and labels the socialist accusations as "alarmism." The response comes after the PSOE denounced "improvisation" and warned that the residents of Seville Este would be treated as "guinea pigs."
More vehicles and extended hours
The council details that the tram-bus will operate every day of the week, from 6:00 to 23:30, and that up to 12 articulated vehicles will run during peak hours. This configuration, according to the council, doubles the capacity compared to the current Express Line and reduces waiting times.
The Sanz government argues that the old Express Line shared more than 80% of its route and stops with the tram-bus, so maintaining both lines would have meant "duplicating public resources on the same corridor." They defend that the integration allows for the use of the segregated bus lane built for the new system and improves commercial speed.
Residents of Seville Este will benefit from a direct connection to the Prado de San Sebastián, one of the main mobility hubs in the city. Numerous Tussam lines, the Metro, and metropolitan services converge there, expanding transfer options and facilitating travel to the city centre and other neighbourhoods.
A technical reorganisation, not a cut
The council insists that the reorganisation responds to technical criteria and the need to adapt the network to new infrastructures. "Large cities periodically update their routes to make them more efficient," municipal sources state, accusing the PSOE of confusing a reorganisation with a loss of rights.
The council reminds that the tram-bus system was already expanded during the April Fair to the back cover and that the extension to the Prado de San Sebastián is a preliminary step towards bringing the tram-bus to the historic centre. The ultimate goal, according to the local government, is to achieve a transport system that is "faster and more competitive" than private vehicles.
For the daily life of residents in Seville Este, the change will mean more buses, greater frequency, and a wider schedule than currently exists. The council estimates that the average waiting time will drop from the current 15 minutes to about seven during peak hours, and that the service will also be provided on weekends with the same regularity.
"Service is not eliminated; it is integrated into a more efficient system," they defend from the council, urging residents to check the improvements when the tram-bus begins operating at full capacity.
The new service will start in the coming weeks, once technical tests are completed. The council has announced that it will provide timely information on the final schedules and stops, which will mostly remain the same as the current route of the Express Line.
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