Antoni Bassas' analysis: "A 16-month layoff means how much the Commuter Rail network has cared about the state."

Today it has started the biggest service cut in the history of Cercanías, which has been planned for the R3 (the line from Hospitalet de Llobregat to the Tour de Carol).

The closure will last 16 months—one year and four months—from now until early 2027, because in addition to the general renovation of the line, the section between Parets del Vallès and La Garriga will be doubled. That's why Minister Paneque arrived this morning, accompanied by a retinue of television cameras, to signal that the Catalan government (today, as the general policy debate begins) is and will continue to be on top of this project, which requires the provision of a bus service for passengers who currently won't be able to take the train.

Silvia Paneque: "We think it's well-sized and planned. We've spoken with the mayors. We've spoken with the local authorities. But, we always say, if in these first days and weeks we see that there are adjustments that need to be made, they will be taken on board. It's clear that we're affecting people's lives in a very important way, in a very important way, in a very important way, we're affecting people's lives in a very important way. This will allow them to travel north or to Barcelona, ​​​​just as they had rail transport before the cut."

And NOW, look at this map, please:

Here's the route of the famous R3, from Hospitalet de Llobregat to the Tour de Carol, in Northern Catalonia. Note how important it is: it connects the Llobregat River with the Pyrenees, the Barcelona metropolitan area with the high mountains, passing through important cities such as Granollers, Vic, Manlleu, Ripoll, and Puigcerdà. In any country in the world, such a strategic axis would be the apple of any communications system's eye. And yet, it will now remain closed for sixteen months. The fact that it has to be closed for so long is directly proportional to the years, the decades, in which the State has invested nothing. It's normal: the longer you've let it fall into disrepair, the more time it takes to return it to a decent state. Therefore, a 16-month shutdown is the exact measure of how much the Cercanías de Catalunya service, along with the time, lives, and work of the passengers who pay for it with their taxes, have mattered to the State, Renfe, and Adif. And what I say about the beleaguered R3 applies to any other commuter train line. Precisely at a time when there's so much talk about work-life balance and climate change, the commuter train has disrupted many people's schedules and sent thousands of train passengers burning gasoline. They couldn't have done worse.

This, and housing, will be discussed starting today in Parliament, in the general policy debate.

A flat unknown about the debateWill Isla's government manage to approve next year's budget, or not? Will Juntos offer to negotiate, or not? The Left and the Comuns have some interest in approving the budgets of a president they invested in, or not? People have enough problems without democracy being so dysfunctional.

Good morning.