The opposition is not enough for him, and he demands Paneque's resignation due to the commuter rail chaos.

BarcelonaAfter a week of chaos on the commuter rail network, the opposition is lashing out at the government and demanding accountability for the state of the network and the service disruptions. During the parliamentary question time, all groups—except the Comuns—demanded, directly or indirectly, the resignation of the Minister of Territory, Silvia Paneque. In other words, the opposition is not satisfied with the two dismissals at Renfe and Adif, but is also demanding accountability from the central government. The Minister of the Presidency, Albert Dalmau, spoke on behalf of the executive branch—the President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, remains hospitalized—and attributed the commuter rail disruptions to the poor condition of the infrastructure in Catalonia—Adif is still reviewing some thirty critical points. To address the problem, he prescribed more investment and progress in the transfer of the network to the Generalitat. Dalmau also took the opportunity to offer dialogue to the political groups, reproaching them for some of their criticisms: "They are not fair," the minister stated in response to the president of the Republican group, Josep Maria Jové.

Before Dalmau's appearance this morning regarding the mobility crisis in the country, the Esquerra deputy insisted that Paneque should resign, as should Minister Óscar Puente, and extended his criticism to Dalmau for having "contributed" to "exacerbating" the crisis. with the announcements about the resumption of service that turned out to be false. "Don't hide behind the dismissal of two people who hadn't even been there a year," he warned, citing the removal of the president of the Cercanías commuter rail operations director, Josep Enric Garcia Alemany, and the director of operations for Adif (the Spanish railway infrastructure manager), Raúl Míguez Bailo. It was at this point that Dalmau asserted that some statements had gone too far. "In this chamber, three people have held the position of Territorial Policy," he said, referring to Ester Capella, Juli Fernández (ERC), and Josep Rull (Junts). Dalmau's outstretched hand did not satisfy the Junts members, nor did the actions of the executive branch in the last week. The president of Junts in the Catalan Parliament, Mònica Sales, emphasized that "governments all over the world have angered everyone" and that "the country has hit rock bottom" with an executive branch that has "resigned" and that has led Catalonia to "decline." He was referring to the series of strikes and problems that affected the government, such as the one led by doctors or the mobilizations of farmers and teachers, compounded by the serious railway crisis. A "gigantic collapse" which, in the case of the commuter rail network, he pointed out, now has "the same Secretary of Mobility" as during the 2007 crisis, Manel Nadal. "How long will this go on? Enough is enough," Sales declared, advocating for a complete transfer of management "100%" from the Principality.

Jové even addressed President Isla, telling him that Dalmau, "his replacement today, has failed to lead the crisis" and that "the public's patience is running out." Claiming a "change in the model," he also accused the PSC of trying to cover up the central government's mismanagement of the commuter rail system: "The crisis is not new; it is the consequence of a model of criminal discrimination against Catalonia," he asserted regarding the disinvestment.

Management under scrutiny

Both Junts and ERC have pointed out the government's handling of the situation, given that the Socialists prioritized this area above all else: "Neither management nor ambition," said Jové. "Catalans don't need any more excuses or propaganda," Sales added. This view has also been echoed by both the PP and Vox, who have supported the calls for the government's resignation. The leader of the Catalan PP, Alejandro Fernández, pointed to the "atrocious incompetence" of the Catalan executive, and the Vox spokesperson, Joan Garriga, reiterated his call for elections, blaming the PSC for the crisis and the lack of investment. "And you were supposed to be in charge of managing things!" Fernández exclaimed, hitting the nail on the head. Both Dalmau and Paneque have argued that all the decisions made by the government have been aimed at guaranteeing the safety and mobility of users. Now, after the week horribilisThe minister stated that he is "very aware that there are angry people in Catalan society": "We need to decide whether we lead society towards anger or towards solutions," he concluded.

The discount on public transport remains in place

Dalmau sought to acknowledge Oriol Junqueras's party, stating that "with previous governments," such as Pere Aragonès's, "the neglect and lack of investment in the public transport network began to be reversed." He also demonstrated his alignment with the Comuns party by announcing an agreement to maintain 50% discounts on public transport until 2028 (that is, until the end of the current legislative term). This agreement was reached with Jéssica Albiach's party. in extremis This Wednesday, according to sources involved in the negotiations who spoke to ARA.

According to Comuns, the Catalan government's commitment is to maintain 50% of the discount on integrated tickets, both for Cercanías commuter rail and the Barcelona Metro, for T-Usual and T-Jove passes. Currently, 20% is paid by the Spanish state and the remaining 30% by the Catalan government. Sources involved in the negotiations assure that the Catalan government has a commitment from the Ministry of Transport to maintain its share of the discount at least until 2027. The Department of Territory has not provided details.