"Avoidable", caused by "disinvestment" and "fiscal plundering": the independence movement points the finger at the State for the commuter rail collapse

BarcelonaTwo commuter train accidents, one of them involving One dead and about forty injuredThese events have brought the service to a complete standstill in Catalonia. This has unleashed a barrage of political reactions, with the pro-independence movement harshly criticizing the central government's management of railway infrastructure. Junts, ERC, and the CUP have all reiterated their grievances regarding the lack of investment and maintenance, while the transfer of the commuter rail network to the national government has once again become a pressing issue. Meanwhile, the Catalan government has called for a reduction in travel and is currently meeting to discuss resuming service as soon as possible. Junts has declared "enough" and has demanded, from the outset, the urgent appearance of the Catalan Minister of Territory, Sílvia Paneque, before the Catalan Parliament, and the Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, before the Spanish Congress, to address "the commuter rail crisis, the mismanagement of the railway crisis, and the collapse of infrastructure in Catalonia." Mid-morning, Paneque, along with the Minister of the Interior, Núria Parlon, announced their intention to appear before Parliament on their own initiative – a request made by the Comuns party; the CUP in Paneque's case; and by Adif officials, as well as by Vox. The members of the Catalan Parliament maintain that "an accident is always a possibility, but the probability of it occurring is much higher when there is a disastrous commuter rail service," as parliamentary spokesperson Salvador Vergés stated at a press conference. In fact, he pointed out that Catalonia is "a victim of decades of disinvestment," "poor service," and inadequate maintenance. He added that "Catalonia's dependence on the central government leads to this situation," exacerbated by the investment deficit and "fiscal plundering."

Vergés has demanded "accountability" and insisted on making effective the resignation that the Catalan chamber already requested. PanequeWith one eye on Minister Puente, he recalled that "he boasted that the AVE high-speed train would travel at 350 km/h" and "it will have to go at 160" after a correction. the Adamuz accident.

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The criticism of the State has, however, been the prelude to a new battle between Junts and ERC: "We demand a real transfer of the commuter rail service, not this fraudulent transfer," said Vergés, referring to the agreement reached by the Republicans. She reminded everyone that Renfe holds the majority of shares in the new joint venture with the Catalan government. For her part, the general secretary of ERC, Elisenda Alamany, lashed out at Junts' "complaint" about the poor train service, saying that "it would be good if people stopped just 'complaining' and actually did something." Similarly, the Republican leader, Oriol Junqueras, lamented the State's "lack of investment" and asserted "the national need" for the transfer to go ahead. "The lack of investment, the State's neglect of the commuter rail service in Catalonia is what is causing the entire service to come to a standstill today out of fear," he explained. Parliamentary spokesperson Ester Capella added that the Catalan government and Renfe have failed to "put users first" due to a lack of information. The CUP also emphasized that "the precarious state of the railway infrastructure has serious safety consequences" due to "underfunding and disinvestment" and demanded "accountability." Anti-capitalist deputy Dani Cornellà stressed that the accident and the resulting chaos were "avoidable" with adequate investment and that "the cause lies in the structural lack of maintenance of the railway network by Adif and the complete lack of criticism of Adif by Minister Paneque."

On the other hand, the opposition has also denounced the "lack of information" provided to passengers, as pointed out by the spokesperson for Comuns in the Catalan Parliament, David Cid, who also lamented the lack of work permits at stations and the historical lack of investment. For his part, the spokesperson for Vox, Joan Garriga, stated that the 43 railway deaths in Spain "are the responsibility of the Socialists and their separatist partners" due to the lack of investment.