Antoni Bassas' analysis: 'The State must compensate Renfe and Adif for the damage they have caused to the Catalan economy'

Today was another typical day for the commuter rail service, meaning chaos and confusion about whether the system is running or not. It's only running or not, given that only five lines are fully operational, while eleven others still have sections closed and are being offered as alternative bus services.

This morning there has been Two consecutive failures of Adif's centralized traffic centerAt França Station, all lines were halted twice this morning. All lines, both commuter and regional. It's the same control center that failed last week, and Adif said that after fixing the system, "it couldn't happen again."

So, far from returning to the normality promised on Monday, things aren't going well. This morning, TV3 connected with a passenger who had been stuck on a train near Hostalric for an hour, without any solution being offered.

This isn't working. It's not working, and it's astonishing that the only one who showed his face this morning was Pere Macías, the commissioner for the complete transfer of the commuter rail service. We haven't seen the regional minister, perhaps because we'll see her after the executive council meeting, but neither are the people in charge at Renfe and Adif, who are responsible for this chaos.

The Isla government is being dragged down by the historical incompetence of Renfe and Adif and the chronic disinvestment by the State, which is now being hastily addressed. If Isla came to pacify the province, he is achieving the exact opposite. Renfe and Adif are serving as a constant reminder, every morning, every hour, with every delay and on every bus, that Spain cares very little about the mobility of Catalans. If the Government does not want to be dragged down by the disrepute of Renfe and Adif, it must break with them.

It's no longer just a question of leadership. I don't doubt Sílvia Paneque's dedication or Pere Macías's expertise, and perhaps not even that of some of the engineers responsible for Adif and Renfe in Catalonia. But governance is preventing them from moving forward. The Generalitat (Catalan government) has no power. The Generalitat has little to no power, with or without the transfer of authority. They do what the train drivers say, at the pace dictated by Renfe and Adif and the execution of state investments. To side with them, as the central government does, is to align itself with those who perpetuate the problems under the pretext of saving Sánchez and the post-independence "Process" balm called Isla.

We're told we must understand that solutions aren't quick. But some solutions are: extraordinary compensation. The Catalan economy, businesses, and workers harmed by the chaos at Renfe and Adif must be compensated. This should be a demand of the country, and of Isla's government if it doesn't want the discrediting of Renfe and Adif to derail its "pacification" project.

Good morning.