The Zalla City Council will not proceed with the request for a non-binding public consultation on the railway crossings between Artebizkarra and El Carmen. In Thursday's council meeting, the tie of six councilors between Zalla Bai and the PNV left the decision in the hands of the sole EH Bildu councilor, who ultimately abstained, leading to the rejection of the consultation in the face of ADIF's imminent decision to close several crossings.

The council will inform the railway entity of the corporation's decision and "keep the public informed" about the four projects through a new dedicated section on the municipal website. In this scenario, several residents of Artebizkarra, in the area of Maristak Ikastetxea, oppose one of the proposed alternatives: an underground passage that they fear could be converted into a road due to future urban developments, harm hospitality and businesses, and devalue properties. They also warn that it could destroy the neighborhood park, a green lung that has been a playground for generations and received the Columpio de Plata award in 2014.

Zalla Bai explained that one of the initial proposals was a three-by-three-meter tunnel at the station with ninety-degree turns, which did not guarantee safety. Following this, four final alternatives were outlined: the aforementioned underground passage and three elevated ones, starting from Artebizkarra, the station, and the workshop school.

The PNV recalled that "we have been warning for months that a biased and divided consultation was being constructed, the result of a series of improvisations." For its part, EH Bildu argued that "there is a clear lack of information with relevant doubts about the scope of each option, excessive haste, and a lack of consensus among residents."