June 29, 2016

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment, through the General Directorate of Rural Development and Forestry Policy, will begin work to convert the former Santander-Mediterranean railway line, which has been unused since 1985, into a Nature Trail, in the section between the municipalities of San Leonardo de Yagüe and Abejar.

This route will have a total length of 31.75 kilometers and will run through the Soria municipalities of San Leonardo de Yagüe, Casarejos, Navaleno, Cabrejas del Pinar, Soria (Pinar Grande), and Abejar, where it will connect with the Abejar-Soria section, currently under construction.
The project budget amounts to 1,076,109 euros, a sum that will be co-financed by the Ministry (47%) and by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) (53%).

To improve this section of the Nature Trail, the platform will be adapted by scarifying, compacting, applying ballast, and adding gravel to adapt to the different sections of the trail. The necessary drainage works will also be carried out to evacuate both longitudinal and transverse water. In addition, the old railway crossings will be restored and improved, and the trail will be equipped with appropriate signage and directional, preventive, and informational signs.

This project, along with the one currently underway, located between the municipalities of Abejar and Soria, will offer users new leisure opportunities and an alternative, environmentally friendly form of tourism, including environmental education and nature interpretation. It will also provide a tool for educational and cultural activities that will foster greater integration and a better understanding of the environment.

Thanks to these infrastructures, rural tourism is encouraged, promoting the socioeconomic development of rural areas and restoring public domain use. Furthermore, these routes share nature, historical and/or cultural heritage, and gastronomy, while also improving the quality of life and health of the people who use them.
The Nature Trail will be part of a corridor of great interest both for its total length (568 km) and for its connection with a large number of Nature Trails previously put into operation.

NATURAL TRAILS PROGRAM

The project meets the criteria of the Nature Trails Program developed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment and will join the more than 8,800 kilometers of existing Nature Trails built since 1993. This contributes to diversifying the region's economic activity by boosting tourism, as well as conserving natural spaces through environmental education and preserving the resources in the Nature Trail's area of influence.