Almeida speeds up Madrid Nuevo Sur and puts pressure on PSOE to unblock it

The contest over the development of Madrid Nuevo Sur is already being felt in the southern neighbourhoods. José Luis Martínez-Almeida has decided to make this project his main political bet for the next election year. After the progress of Madrid Nuevo Norte and the reactivation of Operación Campamento, the mayor wants the Abroñigal plan to be the next major urban change to reach the city, especially an area that has been waiting for investment for years.

For months, negotiations between the City Council and several ministries remained discreet. Now, Almeida is making them public and wants the central government, especially the Ministerio de Transportes, to move from words to action. The mayor insists that the project is key to transforming the south and calls for private agreements to be translated into visible action for residents.

The land, owned by Adif, makes it easier to unblock the project than other recent ones. However, final approval depends on an agreement with the Ejecutivo de Pedro Sánchez. Almeida has already announced that he will take the proposal to the March municipal plenary session, brought forward because of Semana Santa, so that all political groups can state their position and the debate is clear to the public.

From the Socialist camp, the need to boost the south is acknowledged and the government's interest in the area is highlighted, recalling that the relocation of workshops to Vicálvaro has already begun to free up space. However, doubts remain in the PP about whether PSOE will want to facilitate a project that could strengthen the mayor's image at the ballot box, especially if Félix Bolaños ends up being a candidate in Madrid.

Whatever the outcome, Almeida is seeking to secure political room for manoeuvre: either he achieves a new consensus that unblocks the plan, or he will be able to point to the left if the project does not progress. Southern Madrid, meanwhile, hopes that this time the transformation will genuinely arrive.

The Abroñigal area, now known as Madrid Nuevo Sur, has for decades been an underused space between railway tracks and workshops. Its potential to connect neighbourhoods and create new urban spaces is one of the city's major outstanding challenges. If the project moves forward, it will change mobility, the landscape and the everyday lives of thousands of Madrid residents. Madrid is already beginning to move in that direction.