A country cannot function without public services.

Catalonia is experiencing an unprecedented situation this week. The commuter rail service, crucial for ensuring mobility throughout the country, was suspended for two days following an accident that resulted in the death of a train driver. Due to the same accident, the AP-7, the highway that crosses the country from south to north and is the main route for freight exports, remained closed for more than 24 hours southbound. This mobility chaos has exposed the weaknesses of public transport infrastructure that is nearing collapse due to a number of factors, including a long-standing lack of investment and the effects of climate change.

Although at this point it is still very difficult to justify such a drastic decision as suspending the entire commuter rail service to check the condition of the tracks after the recent heavy rains, the train drivers are right about one thing: an urgent overhaul of the entire network is necessary to prevent so many accidents. We hope that these 48 hours without service have served to map the entire infrastructure, identify all the deficiencies, and plan the necessary actions.

This crisis should also serve to raise awareness among us all of the importance of taking care of a public service like mobility (vandalism is one of the main causes of incidents) and also of the need to dedicate adequate resources. These days we have seen that without public transport services the economy stifles because workers cannot get to their jobs, just as without roads, which are also used to transport goods. And the money needed to maintain this infrastructure currently comes from the taxes we all pay, because the user only contributes a small part.

In these times of demagoguery and fake news, voices are calling for both a general tax cut and an improvement in public services. The dismantling of public services sought by some of these voices is a reactionary policy that fuels anti-politics.

What should be demanded of those in power is good resource management, something that is too often lacking. But it must be clear that all resources allocated to improving and facilitating mobility in a metropolitan area like Barcelona, ​​which is home to nearly 5 million people, will be well spent. Investing in public transport, and especially in commuter rail, also means investing in competitiveness and quality of life.

The coincidence of the Córdoba and Gelida train accidents has put the entire Spanish railway system under scrutiny. But if we look closely, while the AVE (high-speed rail) disruption may be due to a temporary factor (a track break for reasons still unknown), the Gelida disruption stems from structural funding issues related to the poor condition of a section of the network. The money must now go where it's most needed, and that means commuter rail.