Renfe does not expect to return to normal service on commuter trains before April
Railway unions are maintaining the strike called for February 9, 10 and 11
BarcelonaCommuter rail users will still have to wait almost two months for service to return to normal. A day before the two planned demonstrations to protest the state of the network—which the Catalan Minister of Territory, Silvia Paneque, has described as "deplorable"—Renfe's spokesperson in Catalonia, Antonio Carmona, explained this Friday morning that work is underway to end "all speed restrictions" on the service and fully restore it "by April." However, the rail company does anticipate that some lines will gradually resume operations. As Carmona announced from Sants station, efforts are underway to have the R3 line "restored" within two weeks. Regarding the closure of the R4 line – where service was halted Thursday night between Martorell and L'Hospitalet due to a landslide at the Sant Feliu de Llobregat undergrounding project – the Renfe spokesperson avoided setting a date for the resumption of service, stating that it will be able to operate. For the time being, Carmona said, the rail operator is working at 91 points across the network to move towards this scenario as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, the Secretary of State for Transport, José Antonio Santano, indicated that the commuter rail lines R13, R14, and R4 are expected to resume service soon. The high-ranking official from the Spanish Ministry explained to La 2 Cat that the entire network will be "practically" operational within two weeks and that all temporary speed restrictions will be lifted by April, with plans to phase them out "progressively."
In the afternoon, Santano also predicted that the section of the AP-7 motorway closed in Gelida southbound following the collapse of the wall that caused the fatal train accident two weeks ago could reopen on Monday "if everything goes according to plan," and that the R4 line affected by the collapse would also be affected.
Regarding the railway sector strike planned for next week, from February 9th to 11th, the major unions – CCOO, UGT, and Semaf – have decided to maintain the strike call, as they announced after the third meeting they held with the Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente. Spokespeople for the three unions stated that the measures they are demanding, both in budgetary and safety matters, were not specified.
Semaf, the most combative union in the negotiations, however, clarified that "the Friday's meeting was better focused than the previous one, as it addressed measures regarding the safety and maintenance of the railway system, which is Semaf's main demand. Meetings between the ministry and union representatives will continue over the weekend, and the Spanish government is confident it can avert the protest.
Paneque: the discontent is "understandable"
The Minister of Territory, Sílvia Paneque, has stated that she understands the demonstration called for this Saturday by commuter rail users because she finds their discontent "understandable." "I have held daily meetings with user groups," she asserted this Thursday at a conference at the Fòrum Europa Tribuna Catalunya. In this regard, Junts believes there is a "firm" legal basis for the Catalan Government to terminate the contract with Renfe and award the commuter rail service to FGC. This is the conclusion of a legal report commissioned by the party, which was presented at a press conference following the presentation by Junts' parliamentary spokesperson, Salvador Vergés. According to Junts, the service disruptions of recent days—which constitute a "breach of the service provision contract"—and the powers of the Catalan Government "make it possible" to initiate an administrative process to terminate the contract with Renfe.
When asked about this possibility, Paneque argued that this "is not the way," nor is going to court: "The way is through collaboration to transform this vulnerable infrastructure into a robust one, improving the rolling stock, and taking these steps toward a new governance model." In her view, the main way to improve the service offered to the public is to implement the Commuter Rail Plan, which she noted has seen an increase of 1.7 billion euros. In this area, however, she stated that "gradual improvement" will be "a process that will take time."
