New boost for the tram connection along Diagonal Avenue. This Tuesday, the Barcelona City Council's urban planning commission validated the final approval of two essential documents for the project to move forward: the redevelopment of Diagonal Avenue between Passeig de Sant Joan and Plaça de Francesc Macià, and the renovation of the sewer system. The municipal government secured the votes of Barcelona en Comú and ERC for the avenue's renovation, and also of Junts for the sewer project. With the final approval of these two documents, the tram connection along Diagonal Avenue requires two more crucial steps. The first will be the approval of the infrastructure project by the Metropolitan Transport Authority (ATM), a debate that will take place at the board meeting scheduled for April. Then will come the most delicate phase: agreeing on and approving the financing agreement between the City Council and the Catalan Government, which must establish how much each will pay to carry out a connection estimated to cost approximately 100 million euros.

This Friday in Milan, at least two people died and 54 were injured, according to the latest update published Saturday by Italian media. The accident occurred when a tram derailed and crashed into a building near the city center. The incident, which prompted the mobilization of five fire units, took place around 4 p.m. on Vittorio Veneto Street, as the tram was traveling from Piazza della Repubblica toward Porta Venezia. Among the injured, six are in serious condition, while the rest sustained minor injuries.

As the six-month anniversary of the launch of the new tram between Plaça de les Glòries and Verdaguer approaches, it's now possible to take stock of how this infrastructure has impacted public transport mobility in Barcelona. This impact is measured not only in the number of passengers who take the tram daily, but also in the impact it has had on other modes of transport. A butterfly effect that has changed the routines of many users and, according to data accessed by the ARA (Argentine National Transport Association), has also increased ridership across all public transport services in the area.

It's only been a year since he was appointed director of the Autoritat del Transport Metropolità. Before that, Manuel Valdés - an engineer by training - had spent 17 years at Barcelona City Hall, where he promoted the new bus network, the low-emission zone, the superblocks and the tram along the Diagonal. All this experience, he says, has helped him to delve into the "engine room" that is the ATM: "In the morning I want to see the message that everything is working normally."

First a reassuring message: the City Council does not foresee that this will be a particularly tough summer for coexistence due to road and rail works. Yet works there will be, perhaps not as many as last year (62), but of greater impact on citizens' lives, especially in the Eixample. There work is expected to begin simultaneously on the 36 stretches of street that are to become the first axes of the superilla and on the tramway along Diagonal, which will be accelerated to take advantage of the August slowdown. In total, there will be 56 new different interventions totalling €23.5m of municipal investment, among which the advancement of the reforms of the Via Laietana and Pi i Margall stand out. These are two of the City Council's star projects for this final stretch of its term in office. These works bring the total number of works underway in the city to 183.