The Tenerife tram has named one of its carriages after Ricardo Melchior, in tribute to the recently deceased former president of the Island Cabildo. Under his leadership, this transportation system was implemented, linking Santa Cruz de Tenerife and La Laguna.
This guided system, which has been in service for 19 years, transports 25 million passengers annually and has recorded a total of 291 million journeys since 2007.
Metrotenerife, the public company managing the tram, has named carriage 101-01 after Ricardo Melchior, “in recognition of the vision, leadership, and determination that made the establishment of an infrastructure possible, which forever transformed mobility in the metropolitan area of the island,” the corporate body stated.
The president of the Tenerife Cabildo, Rosa Dávila, emphasised Melchior’s ability to anticipate the mobility needs of Tenerife and to advocate for “a modern, sustainable, and efficient solution when many still doubted its feasibility.”
The Councillor for Mobility of the Tenerife Cabildo, Eulalia García, remarked that the project led by Melchior “has become a benchmark for sustainable, comfortable, and accessible mobility for the daily lives of thousands of people in the metropolitan area.”
The unveiling of the naming of carriage 101-01 was attended by María Isabel Cruz, widow of Ricardo Melchior, who expressed her gratitude for the initiative.
Rosa Dávila, at the unveiling event for the tram naming. / E. D.
Mónica Torres, a tram driver for 16 years, spoke on behalf of the employees, highlighting the efforts of the 230 workers to ensure that the tram remains a benchmark for sustainability, quality, and community service.
Attendees also included the Vice President of the Parliament of the Canary Islands, Ana Oramas; the Councillors for Mobility of La Laguna and Santa Cruz, Domingo Galván and Evelyn Alonso; and Pedro Ribeiro, Managing Director of Metrotenerife, along with representatives of the workforce.
