The Spanish government admits that Cercanías is the network that has received the "worst treatment" from the State.

BarcelonaFor years, the Generalitat (Catalan government) has complained about a lack of investment, especially in infrastructure, in Catalonia. The budgets that are drafted and approved end up being worthless, since what is spent—and, therefore, the money that reaches the country—falls far short of initial projections. Today, Transport Minister Óscar Puente acknowledged "disinvestment" in the commuter rail network and asserted that the Catalan network is, "without any reservations," the most deteriorated rail infrastructure in the entire country: "It is the oldest network in every sense and the one that has suffered the worst treatment," the minister stated. ERC (Republican Left) claims to be the first minister to acknowledge a lack of investment, which is why it sees Puente's words as "a great step," while Junts (Junts) criticizes him for not investing enough to reverse the time lost in previous years.

In an appearance by Puente in Congress to explain the railway incidents across the country, Junts MP Isidre Gavín stressed that the situation on the commuter rail network is "especially serious" and sought to provide figures. For example, comparing the serious impacts between January and October 2023 on commuter rail and Madrid commuter rail. While the Catalan network accumulated 10,267 serious incidents, the Madrid network registered 1,694, according to Gavín. Therefore, for Junts, it makes no sense for Puente to talk about state measures to examine the rail service: "They are of no use to us," said the Junta MP, who did not hesitate to describe the lack of funding for the Catalan network as "an investment punishment."

In this regard, Puente, despite expressing his support for the transfer of Cercanías (Commuter Trains), has asserted that simply transferring management to the Generalitat (Catalan Government) will not solve the problem. What is needed, "in 90% or more" of situations, according to the minister, is to invest in infrastructure: "If investments are not made and new rolling stock does not arrive, management will not perform miracles." Gavín reproached him for the fact that the Spanish government could allocate more money to alleviate the investments that have not arrived in recent years, but Puente assured that the state executive is investing "everything that can be invested" without reaching the "limit" of having to cut the service. as will be done in R3 for 16 months.

The lack of investment, therefore, causes breakdowns and outages. And, at the same time, infrastructure improvement works also end up affecting the service. A situation that ERC MP Inés Granollers has defined as "chronic chaos" and as "proof that political decisions made for decades have undervalued an essential service." However, in Puente's remarks today, the Republicans see "a great step" and have congratulated the minister for being "the first" state representative to acknowledge the investment deficit.

Transfer to the Generalitat with Renfe participation

In addition to investment, the Republicans have often emphasized proximity in management, specifically the transfer of Cercanías (local rail) to improve the service. This transfer is underway following the agreement between the ERC (Regional Regional Government) and the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) to appoint Pedro Sánchez as its new regional manager. Although the investiture agreement stipulated that the Generalitat (Catalan regional government) would be the sole owner of the new Cercanías (local rail) company that would manage the service, the agreement with the Spanish government ultimately resulted in Renfe retaining 50.1% of the shares in this subsidiary, but the Generalitat holding the majority on the board of directors.