The Santano effect on the commuter rail crisis

BarcelonaThe trigger came in the early hours of Saturday, January 24th. The fatal accident days earlier in Gelida had led to one of the most serious rail crises Catalonia has ever experienced, and the Catalan government had announced that train service would be suspended starting Saturday because the necessary safety conditions were not met, according to technical reports from Adif (the Spanish rail infrastructure manager). Without prior notice, however, that morning Renfe (the Spanish national railway company) put trains back into service in a decision it made unilaterally. It was then that the Catalan government took a stand, demanding that the Spanish government intervene to bring order to the situation between Renfe and Adif. That same Saturday, the Secretary of State for Transport, José Antonio Santano, arrived in Barcelona. He was the central government's envoy to try to reconcile the two rail operators, both of which depend on the Spanish government, and resolve the commuter rail crisis. He was there for a week, but that would not be his only visit to Catalonia: since February 3rd, he has been based in Barcelona indefinitely.

The deputy to Minister Óscar Puente has set up his office at the Spanish government's delegation in Catalonia, located on Mallorca Street in the Catalan capital. This is, in fact, his base of operations for managing the commuter rail crisis, although he also handles the other duties of his position from there, which extend beyond Catalonia. His day begins at 7:00 a.m. with his first coordination meeting with members of the Catalan government—led by the Minister of Territory, Silvia Paneque—and representatives from Renfe and Adif. This is followed by another meeting, without the Catalan government, with the two operators and the heads of the commuter rail network. Initially, all these meetings were held in person at the Department of Territory headquarters, but this has changed over time, and now, depending on the Secretary of State's schedule, some meetings are held remotely.

It was during the second early morning meeting between Santano and the two rail operators, which began at 8:30 a.m., that they reviewed the ongoing works and the timeline for reopening the sections still closed for safety inspections being carried out since the Gelida accident. Paneque explained last Tuesday that their goal was to have the entire commuter rail network reopened this week – except for the sections that were already under construction before the accident.

A source familiar with Santano's work indicated that it has been "very beneficial" to have someone above Renfe and Adif in Catalonia to improve crisis management. In fact, the various sources consulted said that the Secretary of State's character, described as affable and even-tempered, helps to make the meetings easier. "It sets the general framework and opens up possibilities," notes one source consulted. Besides the daily coordination meetings, Santano has also participated in meetings with train drivers' unions following the strike called for the beginning of last week – the unions called it off last Monday.

Train journeys as a user

Santano's work hasn't been limited to the institutional level; Puente's second-in-command has also been actively involved in the field. This has included a hands-on experience with the Cercanías commuter rail network. in situ How the rail network works. Santano reserved a day, without telling almost anyone, to ride one of the trains that run on the R1 line between Plaça de Catalunya and Mataró. He did so discreetly, accompanied by only a few members of his team. The choice wasn't random; this is one of the lines that suffers the most disruptions, and also the first that the Spanish government has committed to transferring to the joint venture in which the Generalitat (Catalan government) has a stake. As a passenger, he experienced what many citizens suffer every day: delays. In his case, it was a brief one: 8 minutes, as the train driver made sure to inform him. Nothing like the twenty, thirty, or forty-minute delays that passengers on some of the lines encounter daily.

Santano's stay doesn't yet have an end date, and Puente's second-in-command wants to take advantage of being in Catalonia to make more visits to the region. According to sources close to the Secretary of State, his intention is to "get to know the entire network well" and he wants to start by traveling on the lines with the most problems. However, he will always do so as a user, because he believes that's how he can see exactly how the commuter rail system works and witness its fragility firsthand.