Green Way

Green Way

Also known as the Vía Xurra or the "cholesterol route," the Vía Verde (Greenway) follows the path of the old mining railway between Valencia and Calatayud. It's a peaceful route through the fertile plains between Valencia and Puçol, covering a distance of 15 km.

The Central Aragon Railway Company built the Valencia-Puçol section in 1901, the first section of a major line that would eventually connect to Calatayud and Zaragoza via Teruel. This railway company obtained the concession in 1887, although the initial project was limited to a 133 km line from Calatayud to Teruel. A year later, the concession was extended to Valencia through the Palancia Valley; however, seven more years passed without any construction taking place.

Finally, in 1894, Belgian investors arrived in Spain and provided the necessary capital for the railway's construction. Construction began swiftly and was completed seven years later. In the Valencian L’Horta Nord region, two almost parallel broad-gauge railway lines coexisted: the Central de Aragón line (whose Puçol-Valencia section now supports the Vía Verde greenway) and the line belonging to the Compañía del Norte railway company, on its route from Valencia towards Castellón.

This situation remained unchanged until the creation of Renfe in 1941. It then became clear that this double track, now belonging to a single company, was not very practical, and traffic was gradually diverted to the Northern line.

In 1968, the Valencia-Alameda station was closed and demolished, leaving only the connection to Cabanyal operational as a supplement to the main line. However, once the double track on the main line was operational, the Vía Xurra was deemed unnecessary and was permanently closed and subsequently dismantled in 1985.

After more than a decade of neglect, the Valencian Regional Government's Ministry of Public Works, Urban Planning, and Transport undertook the restoration of this route as a bike path providing non-motorized access (independent of the area's congested roads) to the L'Horta Nord region.