The outrage over the commuter rail service is real.

Both the Spanish and Catalan governments might be tempted to think that the commuter rail crisis is irrelevant, given the modest turnout at Saturday's demonstrations, which were far from the scale of the disaster. But that would be a mistake. Participation in a demonstration depends on many factors, and it's clear that Saturday's events didn't achieve the expected success. To begin with, the two demonstrations—one in the morning focused on independence and another in the afternoon with broader appeal—may have contributed to the low turnout. The announced participation of the far right may have deterred some who didn't want to share a banner with those who question the foundations of democracy. Also contributing to the problem is that, in reality, everyone knew the demonstration wasn't going to change anything, because this disaster, as political leaders have been emphasizing these past few days, can't be fixed in two days. And finally, there was the lack of a clear political objective, such as the resignation of Regional Minister Paneque or Minister Puente, which the organizers of the unified demonstration weren't demanding.

So, it's no surprise that the demonstration sponsored by the Catalan National Assembly (ANC) was more crowded, since it delivered a clear message against the mistreatment of Catalonia and demanded resignations from both governments. It also helps that the ANC is much more organized and structured across the region than user platforms like Public Transport Promotion (PTP), which are essentially pressure groups made up of technicians and people highly aware of the importance of public transport. Therefore, the vast majority of those affected by the commuter rail chaos of recent days, many of them immigrants, stayed home this Saturday.

But, as we said, this doesn't mean the outrage isn't real. Moreover, this discontent is especially dangerous because it affects the lower and middle classes who must go to work every day and find that the administration that should be protecting them is abandoning them. The current public transport crisis could easily spiral into an explosion of anti-politics and populism that should be avoided at all costs.

To begin with, it would suffice to speak clearly, to state the deadlines for restoring the full service with guarantees, and to implement the necessary mitigation measures. It is far better to be honest than to promise restorations that are later not fulfilled. If the commuter rail service must wait until April to return to the situation prior to the Gelida accident, fine, but there should also be a schedule, line by line, that establishes when a punctual service can be offered without the endemic delays of the last 20 years. And, above all, the adaptation works should not be used as an excuse to delay the transfer of the service to the Generalitat (Catalan government). Everything must be done in parallel and properly, as the citizens of Catalonia deserve.