The Government and Esquerra seal the deal for the commuter rail operator while awaiting special financing.

BarcelonaThe PSC and ERC governments sealed the agreement this Thursday to establish the new joint venture that will operate the commuter rail service once it is transferred to Catalonia. The agreement is not yet in place and the pact signed before June 30th, but both Republicans and the Spanish executive admitted, even before the outbreak of the Cerdán case, that negotiations had slowed down. And the alleged corruption scandal involving former PSOE leaders has only made things more complicated.

In any case, the Socialists and Republicans will stage the signing of an agreement this Thursday at the Palau de la Generalitat, which Esquerra had set as a condition (along with financing) for forging new agreements, especially with regard to the 2026 Catalan and state budgets. The deadlines will be made public there after the company's bylaws are made public. with the endorsement of the Bilateral Infrastructure Commission –it was supposed to be the first quarter of 2025.

If there are no last-minute changes, the new operator will be a subsidiary of Renfe, with the majority of the share capital (50.01%) in the hands of the State and the rest (49.99%) in the hands of the Generalitat. EThe Government will control the board of directors: will hold the presidency and the casting vote and, therefore, will have the final say on decisions that depend on the management. However, the agreement between the ERC and the PSOE also stipulated that, to make strategic decisions—without knowing which ones—a reinforced majority would be required (therefore, prior agreement between both administrations would be required).

Pressured by the train drivers

This was the solution reached when Renfe workers went on strike over the possibility that the transfer of the service would leave them without employment benefits such as seniority or mobility. The Left (ERC) compromised, but on the condition that this be a temporary situation and that, within a maximum of two years, the operator would cease to be a subsidiary of Renfe. The Republicans' argument was that, for now, the Generalitat (Catalan government) does not have drivers to guarantee the service if Renfe workers refuse, and that, in any case, obtaining safety permits from the European Union will be more agile with this formula.

It remains to be seen whether this two-year limit is reflected in the documents to be presented this Thursday. The fact that the new commuter rail operator will be integrated into the Renfe business group sparked outrage among Junts, who described the operation as a "transfer." fake". In parallel, the Generalitat has already launched the first steps to take over management of R1, the first one that is expected to be fully assumed.