Bridge, from arrogance to rudeness

At the time of the morning that I am speaking to you, Minister Óscar Puente has not yet appeared, who has called a press conference in Urda. The still-minister Puente, we should say, because he should have already resigned. To demand his resignation, the three fatal accidents this year, with a total toll of 116 deaths, would be enough. But today it is even more evident what we perceived on the first day, at Puente's first press conference: the desire to shirk any blame and point the finger at the control center operator. It was not enough for him to point it out on the first day, but yesterday he leaked the audio of the conversations between the control center and the drivers of the trains that collided, in an attempt to reinforce the idea that it was all due to human error. If a single person can cause a tragedy like this, it is because everything is poorly set up. If Puente's railway management was superb, the informative management of the accident has been indecent. Sánchez must know what he is doing, but this third tragedy (Adamuz, Gelida, Urda), if they insist on saying that it is a worker's fault, will sweep them away electorally.

At this time it is clear that human error came at the end of a chain of technical errors, and a background of intensive use of train lines that do not have the maintenance they need. Look at this page by Núria Sala from Brussels: between 2018 and 2022, Spain allocated 83% of the declared high-speed expenditure to new lines, while it spent 16% on maintenance. Listen to what someone who has been denouncing this for years, Professor Germà Bel, said yesterday afternoon on TV3:

“We spend a lot on investment. In fact, right now Spain, despite having the longest network in Europe, as you said before, and in the world except for China, is the country with the most kilometers under construction at this moment in Europe. Although 75% of the investment has been subsidized by the general and European budget, Adif has assumed a debt of more than 20 billion. No, there is no need for us to get into the big numbers. The problem is that debts, unlike what some people think, must be paid. And so this causes a lot of financial stress for Adif, which, since the density of demand is low, we use it little, it receives few revenues from fees. Then, it is a permanent financial stress, it is structural. The first thing they cut or do not expand is the invisible expenditure, which is maintenance. And whoever comes next will have to deal with it, and reality in the end ends up looking you in the face, and the reality is 2026”.

Spain has bought itself a toy that it cannot afford, with the enthusiasm of PSOE and PP, and with the gaping applause in general.

I finish. The Mossos have arrested two youths: yesterday a 16-year-old in Bellmunt d’Urgell, in Lleida, and this morning a 17-year-old in Sant Sadurní d’Anoia. Both are minors, therefore. The one from this morning is considered the instigator of the Blocus incidents. The Mossos believe that what happened last Saturday will not happen again, among other reasons because the police response and the tactics will be different. There will be a maximum security operation in the city center. By the Mossos and the Guàrdia Urbana. These are dark times. Let us not be overcome by fear and let us trust in one another.

Good morning.