José Antonio Santano, the State's 'problem solver' for commuter rail

MadridThe commuter rail network barely functions, but for the last two weeks it's been utter chaos. This is due not only to the trains not running, but also to the poor communication being passed on to passengers. When things get out of hand, imaginative solutions are sought, and since this isn't the first time it's happened with the commuter rail, the central government has decided to pull the "problem solver" lever: the Secretary of State for Transport and Sustainable Mobility, José Antonio Santano (Guipúzcoa, 1965), will be stationed there indefinitely. He was already in Barcelona last week to address the lack of coordination between the Catalan government, Renfe (the national railway company), and Adif (the railway infrastructure manager), but he's being called back to Catalonia. Who is the number two to the Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente?

Santano spent more than 20 years as mayor of Irún before joining the Spanish government two years ago, in one of the ministries most targeted by the regional governments: the Ministry of Transport. And, from the very first moment, he became the person ultimately responsible. of the negotiation of the transfer of Cercanías to the GeneralitatIn a decision agreed upon between ERC and the PSOE, he is the number two in the ministry headed by fellow socialist Óscar Puente, who had to restructure a ministry tainted by suspicion during José Luis Ábalos's tenure. Santano is a lawyer by training and a politician by profession. In 1983, at just 18 years old, he entered politics through the Basque Socialist Party and became the youngest city councilor in Spain. From then until his arrival at the ministry, he had served on the Irún city council (he only worked outside the government, for a private consulting firm, for two years). "I came to this ministry as mayor, and sometimes I haven't left very happy," he acknowledged during his appointment. "I anticipate that some of those who come [to the ministry] probably won't leave very happy either," he admitted afterward. Now he finds himself in that very moment with Catalonia.

Among the many open cases the Basque minister must resolve, the train issue is probably the one causing him the most headaches. His department must not only promote the use of this infrastructure—he has even made a commitment to Brussels in exchange for not implementing tolls for now—but also faces the long-delayed completion of the Mediterranean Corridor, as well as the development of the Atlantic Axis. But the real stumbling block is negotiating directly with the Catalan government, and in recent weeks he has become an expert in this area. The chaos on the commuter rail network, following the fatal accident in Gelida, has become his main concern, which he will now have to continue managing from Catalonia.