Antoni Bassas' analysis: 'Closeness, the right to hope and skepticism'

The new company must be established on December 31 of this year. will manage the commuter rail service of Catalonia. It will be a joint Spanish-Catalan company, formed by the Spanish government and the Catalan government, with an equal board of directors and a president appointed on the proposal of the Catalan government and with a casting vote.

So Cercanías, the service that has made life more difficult for Catalans for decades, is now legally transferred to the Generalitat. The transfer is complex: tracks, overhead lines, stations, machines, wagons, staff… And, as always, the key question is Pla's: who pays for all this? For the moment, the operation of the infrastructure – which is as bad as it is – will be the same company as now, Adif. And the infrastructure will be transferred: first the R1 (Maresme) and then the R2 Sur (Garraf) and the R3 (Vic).

Politically, given that the Spanish and Catalan socialist governments are in the minority and depend, especially in Catalonia, on Esquerra, Illa had no problem sharing the good news with Esquerra Republicana, which gave us an unusual situation, such as that of a minister next to the general secretary of another party. Silvia Paneque came out to say that the Government complies with the agreements and Elisenda Alamany to say that making Isla president made sense. Or, as Rufián said: "While Junts takes taxes from multinationals, Esquerra advances in the transfer to Cercanías."

Paneque: "The commitment is that this new society will be formally established before the end of 2025. We share the fact that this will improve the lives of Catalans, which is what we share with all this work. And I would like to thank you again for the effort and work of these last few weeks in order to find a good agreement."

Alamany: "Today the State government and the government of Catalonia are making the agreements with ERC a reality. This was an agreement between parties. Today it is already a reality for the country, thus laying the foundations for the constitution of a joint company with a majority of the Generalitat of Catalonia that manages the commuter trains in our country and that has the necessary means to do so independently of Renfe."

At Junts, aware of the importance of the announcement, it was Jordi Turull himself who came out to make a criticism that makes sense: a joint venture is not a transfer as we had always imagined, if it includes management of the infrastructure.  Certainly, in terms of Cercanías, with these decades of daily incidents, we have every right to be skeptical. And the investment delay is so great that the new company is not going to work miracles. In fact, there is an improvement plan that began in 2020, a 10-year plan, which now, in 2025, reaches halfway, which means where we come from. Now, it is clear that decisions about a service in Catalonia are better taken in Catalonia and not in an office 600 kilometers away, where complaints do not reach. From January 1st of next year, the delays in Cercanías will fall on the government of the Generalitat. It would be suicidal for Isla's government not to work hard to make this work.

Good morning.