The new commuter rail service in Catalonia will start with a budget of 1.6 million euros.

BarcelonaWith the new year approaching, it begins The countdown to the creation of the new commuter rail service in CataloniaThis is one of the debts the PSOE has owed to ERC since Pedro Sánchez's investiture, and which the PSC also assumed to make Salvador Illa president. The joint venture will be established this January, but there are still unanswered questions about the fine print of the transfer, such as who will be on the board of directors (and who will chair it). On the other hand, its first-year budget is already public: almost €1.6 million.

This is stated in a parliamentary response from the Minister of Territory, Sílvia Paneque, to PP deputy Àngels Esteller. "It is expected to begin operations in January 2026, and will focus on obtaining the railway license, managing the transfer of resources from Renfe Viajeros, implementing the safety management system, and obtaining the safety certificate," Paneque explains. The Catalan government clarifies that the €1,557,000 is a "proposal" that the joint venture will have to approve once it is launched, and that it will be allocated to "operating expenses," according to the Department of Territory. The budget will have to be validated by the board of directors, where the Catalan government will hold a majority—controlling five of the nine seats, including the presidency—while the Spanish state will have a majority on the shareholders' meeting. The company's first objective, and the one to which it will allocate the majority of its initial budget, is obtaining the necessary safety permits, without which it cannot operate. However, the People's Party (PP) criticizes Paneque for the "lack of specificity" regarding the timeline and the "purpose" of the joint venture in his response. "We understand that what is needed is to improve management and implement investments to improve the service. We cannot waste time," Esteller complains.

Agreed with ERC

Sources within ERC confirm that these are "initial budgets to get things started," adding that everything related to "society and the initial budgets has been agreed upon." They also add that state investment for 2026 has been agreed upon. both in the incorporation of new trains both in the network and in infrastructure. Back in 2024, the government of Pedro Sánchez and that of Pere Aragonès – then in a caretaker capacity – agreed to an injection of €1.058 billion into the Generalitat's coffers until 2027, and, subsequently, an additional €283 million each year, to compensate for back payments and the transfer. Furthermore, the commuter rail control center, jointly operated by Adif and Renfe at Barcelona's França station, will become operational before the summer, as Paneque explained in an interview with ACN.

The transfer of the commuter rail service wasn't the only infrastructure commitment in the investiture agreement between the PSC and ERC. The Socialists and Republicans urged each other to reform the governance of El Prat Airport to give Catalonia a voice, and there could be developments before March. Also speaking on ACN, Paneque announced that the Catalan government will present a "concrete and viable" proposal in the first quarter of 2026 to increase the Generalitat's influence in the governance of El Prat, agreed upon with the Spanish State and Aena, but also with ERC and—as a new development—with the Comuns. the biggest critics of the Government's policy with this infrastructure so far. This has always been a taboo subject for Aena, but its president, former PSC deputy Mauricio Lucena, is for the first time open to discussing it: "We can expand coordination," he toldThe Vanguardtwo weeks ago.