"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 list of grievances regarding the lack of investment and maintenance, while the transfer of the commuter rail network to the national government has once again been raised as a necessity. Meanwhile, the Catalan government has called for a reduction in travel and has been meeting throughout the day to try to resume service as soon as possible. Junts has declared "enough" and has demanded from the outset the urgent appearance of the Catalan Minister of Territory, Silvia 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 the infrastructure." Mid-morning, Paneque and the Minister of the Interior, Núria Parlon, announced their intention to appear before Parliament on their own initiative – the Comuns party has also requested it, as has the CUP in the case of Paneque and those responsible at Adif, a move also made 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 stated by parliamentary spokesperson Salvador Vergés 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 parliament had 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 travel at 160," following the review of several sections of the Madrid-Barcelona route after the Adamuz accident.

Picapela Junts-ERC

The criticism of the central government has, however, been the prelude to a new battle between Junts and ERC: "We demand a genuine transfer of the commuter rail service, not this fraudulent transfer," said Vergés, referring to the agreement between the Republicans and the Socialists. She reminded everyone that Renfe holds the majority of shares in the new joint venture that the Catalan government will manage. For her part, the general secretary of ERC, Elisenda Alamany, criticized Junts' "complaints" 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 central government's "lack of investment" and asserted the "national necessity" of the transfer going ahead. "The lack of investment, the central government'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-related travel permits at the stations. 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.