Commuter rail will be free indefinitely and the Madrid-Barcelona high-speed train journey will take 25 minutes longer until the end of the year

MadridThe problems affecting train service in Catalonia are slow to resolve, and this Thursday the Minister of Territory, Silvia Paneque, announced that commuter rail will remain free "until the system is fully restored." "Free travel will continue for as long as necessary because it's clear we can't make users pay for the service currently being provided," Paneque stated. In fact, neither the authorities nor the operator, Renfe, are willing to set a date for the full restoration of service, so journeys will be free indefinitely. But in addition to the reduced service on the commuter lines for Catalan users, there's a new setback, this time regarding journeys between Barcelona and Madrid: after two weeks of accumulated delays, from now until the end of the year, journeys will take an additional 25 minutes.

High-speed rail limitations are here to stay, at least until the end of the year, as confirmed by sources at Adif this Thursday, after the head of the rail network infrastructure reached an agreement with the three operators of the line (Renfe, Iryo, and Ouigo) to maintain the reduced service. According to ACN, the decision comes after weeks of accumulating travel delays, complaints from train drivers about the poor condition of the infrastructure, and confusion about the underlying reasons for the high-speed rail slowdown.

The agreement between the operators and Adif means that if the fastest AVE journey from Barcelona to Madrid was currently two hours and thirty-seven minutes, with the reduced speed it will now take at least three hours. It should be noted that while the AVE normally traveled at 300 kilometers per hour, with the restrictions it will travel at 160 kilometers per hour on several sections. Airlines have already begun informing passengers of schedule changes and cancellations resulting from this situation.

Strike in the sector next week

The speed limits were adopted after the Adamuz accident, where 46 people died. Initially, the Ministry of Transport reported that it was only a temporary restriction, lasting only one night, but the very next day it had to backtrack and reinstate speed limits on some sections, mainly concentrated between Zaragoza and Madrid. In the appearances that the minister has made these days Transport Minister Óscar Puente, speaking both in the Senate and the Congress, has argued that protocols mandate these limitations if train drivers report incidents. If so, Adif (Spain's railway infrastructure manager) must inspect the infrastructure and verify that maintenance is correct. Incidents have increased in recent days, according to Puente.

This new measure comes amid ongoing negotiations between unions and the Ministry of Transport regarding the strike called for the entire sector on February 9, 10, and 11. Representatives from all sides are meeting this Thursday to try to reach an agreement, although the unions are maintaining their protest, arguing that their safety and that of passengers is not guaranteed. The Ministry, led by Óscar Puente, hopes to avert the strike at the last minute, as it believes it would further exacerbate the rail chaos of recent weeks, not only on high-speed lines but especially on the commuter rail network in Catalonia.