The double punishment for the Catalans that Óscar Puente ignores
The Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, has starred this Wednesday in a unfortunate intervention in the Congress of Deputies when, in response to complaints from the pro-independence parties about the chaos in the Cercanías (local trains) caused by the various works being carried out, he responded with an air of self-sufficiency and zero empathy towards the citizens who suffer the consequences: "Explain to us what you prefer, that we cut [the train lines] and work or that we work, while we provide the work;
What Puente's words fail to take into account, however, is the double punishment. First, because of the years of disinvestment that have deteriorated the service to unimaginable limits and turned this problem into a chronic phenomenon. And second, because citizens are now forced to endure years of even more deficient service under the excuse that work is being done that should have been done years ago. What Puente should do is apologize and adopt a more humble stance, since the Catalans are in no way to blame for the fact that successive governments of the PP and the PSOE (yes, also the PSOE) have systematically failed to keep their promises of railway investment, since a timely overhaul of the infrastructure would have prevented it.
A few months ago, Foment del Treball presented a study estimating the infrastructure deficit suffered by Catalonia between 2009 and 2023 at 42 billion euros. What is the origin of this black hole? Well, the answer lies in an Airef study, which stated that between 1990 and 2018, Adif invested 56 billion euros in high-speed rail lines and only 3.7 billion euros in commuter rail services throughout Spain. In fact, of those 3.7 billion euros, 47% went to Madrid and only 17% to Catalonia. Citizens are not responsible for the fact that misguided investment priorities have led to the current disaster. That is why they cannot be scolded, as Mr. Puente seems to be doing, for complaining about the incidents caused by the works. Patience and understanding can be requested, but first, all possible resources must be dedicated to offering an alternative.
Salvador Illa's government must also be extremely careful and speak out when necessary with the Ministry and Adif, as its mission is to defend the interests of citizens who suffer delays like a burden. The regional minister for Territory, Silvia Paneque, admitted this Wednesday that the service is "fragile, unreliable, and has shortcomings." This statement is a good start because it acknowledges the situation, but it also raises questions about the historical responsibility of the PSC (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) in this matter and whether it has been forceful in demanding greater investment for Catalonia during the PSOE (Spanish Workers' Party) government. Now they have the opportunity to demonstrate this with actions.
