The commuter rail plan for the next five years anticipates doubling investment in maintenance

BarcelonaCercanías has a budget of 4.386 billion euros for the next four years after the extra 1.7 billion The Secretary of State for Transport, José Antonio Santano, announced on Monday the changes, which will raise the total investment for the decade to €8 billion. Although amidst the crisis triggered by the accident in Gelida, the central government and the Valencian regional government have agreed to finalize the budget available to improve the service in the coming years. A significant portion will be dedicated to the maintenance and renewal of infrastructure with the aim of improving the reliability of the network, with an allocation of €1.34 billion, "double" the amount allocated in the last five years, according to the Minister of Territory, Silvia Paneque. Paneque and Santano clarified that the changes to this plan had been decided since October. Nevertheless, the Minister acknowledged that the ongoing incidents since the fatal accident in Gelida have "highlighted" the need to increase maintenance efforts. With the additional €1.7 billion, the second half of the 2020-2030 plan will have a 26% larger budget than the first. These investments will be allocated not only to infrastructure maintenance but also to actions to improve service and expand the system's capacity. The Cercanías 2026-2030 plan anticipates the addition of 53 new trains to the network, which will not only replace existing trains but also increase capacity. The goal is for all trains on the busiest lines—R1, R2, and R4—to be double-unit. To further increase network capacity, investments are also planned for track doubling, and €517 million will be dedicated to expanding parking capacity in anticipation of a larger fleet.

The scheduled maintenance work will reinforce bridges and tunnels, as well as stabilize trenches and embankments to prevent landslides. This section also includes planned safety and telecommunications installations, such as improvements to signage and the installation of beacons. Notable projects include work on the Garraf tunnels, the Argentera tunnel, and the Tosses pass tunnels, as well as work on the bridge over the Besòs River in Sant Adrià de Besòs, which must be raised to mitigate the impact of flooding.

Regarding service improvements, €25 million is available over the next few years to enhance accessibility and provide real-time information to users. An additional €500 million will be allocated to continue construction work at La Sagrera and to renovate stations. In this regard, work will be carried out at Barcelona's Sants station, the Tarragona intermodal station, the Circuit de Catalunya Montmeló station, Reus Bellissens, Sant Feliu de Llobregat, Parets del Vallès, and Montcada Bifurcació. Among the interventions at the stations are works to make them accessible. Santano explained that 92 of the 110 commuter rail stations around Barcelona are already accessible, and there is only one, Sant Pol, where no work is being done nor is a project being drafted to make it accessible. "Clear acceleration"

Santano reviewed the first five years of the 2020-2030 Commuter Rail Plan, highlighting that 76% of the €4.012 billion allocated for tenders during the first five years has been met, as well as 81% of the €5.182 billion in awarded contracts and 77% of the €3.462 billion in budget execution. Regarding infrastructure maintenance, just over €1 billion has been dedicated to 291 projects in the last five years. Paneque stated that the execution data for the first half of the plan "demonstrates that Commuter Rail has been a priority in recent years," and argued that there has been a "clear acceleration compared to previous phases." Regarding the new developments announced this Tuesday, Santano asserted that they clearly demonstrate their intention to "give a definitive boost to the Commuter Rail Plan." For his part, Paneque argued that they are "reversing decades of disinvestment," and also praised the work already carried out by the team of former councilor Ester Capella (ERC).