Suburbs, beyond the works

Certainly, the nearly 200 projects being carried out on the Catalan rail network must cause, whether they like it or not, incidents that affect users. Everyone can understand this. In many cases, these are necessary projects, even arriving too late, and which will ultimately improve the service. However, the lack of investment in this infrastructure is so significant that it will only be a first step and will not, in fact, serve to improve what most worries and complicates users' lives.

Some user associations criticize the fact that the projects that have been prioritized are not those that would most help improve service to citizens, such as the widening of the R3 line. The excuse given is that there aren't enough buses to provide alternative service, given the large number of projects. It makes sense and shows how critical and serious the situation on Renfe's rail network is.

However, the construction work alone isn't to blame for the chaos on the commuter train system, although it plays a significant role. As can be seen in this Sunday's dossier, there are many recurring incidents that are not directly related. It was difficult to create the map to link the construction work and the incidents because the information provided by Renfe and Adif is never complete and only reports some of the incidents that occur. In fact, this lack of information is another of the company's dark spots, causing frustration and outrage among users. What emerges from this map, compiled with information gathered by our journalists from the company and users, is that some dark spots appear, demonstrating that there are other problems beyond the construction work.

It's true that this Black March has also seen protests by workers opposed to the transfer of Renfe, and minority unions have held a strike that has severely affected the service. It's also significant that last week two workers were removed from their jobs under investigation for alleged internal sabotage, which consisted of giving false information to drivers to stop trains and disrupt the service. The fact that, after the arrests, an immediate improvement in service was noted is thought-provoking. It's too early to draw conclusions, and above all, individual cases cannot be extrapolated to the entire workforce, whose professionalism and awareness of essential public service must be assumed. It would be very harsh if, in order to maintain labor privileges, for ideological reasons of opposition to the transfer of powers or other reasons, there were a group that inflicted this suffering on the weakest link among Catalan workers: the needs of public transport.

What's clear is that, beyond the works, there are many other things that aren't working on the commuter train system and that are quicker to fix. Information, of course, is one of them. And fixing the defects, like elevators and escalators, is another clear one. The government has gotten its act together, and it's worth noting that the shock plan it presented mid-month is beginning to be implemented, and it will take time for the results to really be seen. There's no doubt that they're the first to be interested in seeing the improvements quickly because the very stability of the government is at stake.

That's why we must accelerate, and at least where feasible, swift and realistic measures are necessary. From more and longer trains to measures in safety, cleaning, maintenance, information, and customer service, which right now feels, rightly, mistreated.