Adrià Ramírez: "There's a lot of work being done on the rail network, but not all of it is improving the lives of users."

BarcelonaAdrià Ramírez (Taradell, 1987) is the president of the Public Transport Promotion (PTP). He leads one of the most important public transport user associations in Catalonia, which is not affiliated with any political party. They are a thorn in the side of the mobility teams working in the various public administrations. "I'd like to think that now there's the focus and political will to try to solve the suburban rail chaos," he says, unconvinced.

The main reason governments cite when there's any problem with the rail network is the investment deficit over the last 40 years. Is this an all-purpose excuse?

— We must differentiate between two major phases. Between 1990 and 2018, according to data from Airef, 60 billion euros were invested in the state's high-speed rail network and only 3.6 billion euros in the commuter rail network, of which practically half went to the Madrid commuter rail network. This occurred under both the PP and PSOE governments. In 2018, the Sánchez government began to activate investments. Now, Minister Puente says that "more investment is not possible," and that is not true: more investment is possible, and, above all, better investment is possible. We should focus on investing in projects that truly improve the lives of users.

There are now around 200 projects underway, according to the...

— Many projects are being carried out, yes, but not all of them are aimed at improving the lives or experience of users. There are urban development projects, such as burying a station; improvement projects along the Mediterranean Corridor, which are positive but don't improve the lives of users. Furthermore, these projects are not being planned properly, and this means, for example, that we have had several road closures in the Penedès region to install the third rail of the Mediterranean Corridor, and now, once completed, we have to carry out other projects to renew the first and second rails. These projects are neither being prioritized properly nor are they being managed well on a day-to-day basis.

Where should one start then?

— For everything that increases system capacity. Trains run on a very narrow track. The tracks are at their limit of capacity; therefore, duplications, triplings, and quadruplings of track are the main elements now. Also, single tracks and all bottlenecks, which are usually track crossings.

And don't those who plan the works see this?

— Until 2018, there was simply no interest, and since then, what we've had is a serious governance problem. The ministry decides on the works, Adif executes them, and Renfe operates the service. And the administration in charge of the service is the Generalitat (Catalan government). Four different actors, at least. And we're coming off a Renfe-Adif separation and a poorly executed transfer in 2010. There's no one to align all the factors. No one to say what the problem is, what the causes are, what the flaws are, and how to improve them. And, therefore, it's executed, that is, it's invested a little bit by peso.

Councilor Sílvia Paneque says that, at least in the short term, what's needed is better information. Do you agree?

— This is a very first step. The point is that users must also be treated as adults and the source of the problems explained.

Do you notice users are more angry now than before or is it just a fluke?

— The construction work is both annoying and stressful. We're in a very difficult situation right now, until these works allow for improved service, at least some of it. And there's also surely been a spark effect from the six-month outage in Tarragona, and seeing that they've repeated the same huge mistake as in La Garriga: resuming service without having done sufficient testing. In fact, without having done any testing at all. All of this is in addition to the usual incidents.

Has any administration contacted user associations and platforms, as they said they would do in early March?

— We have informal contacts. The Generalitat (Catalan Government) and Renfe Catalunya are institutions that make it easy for us to access them. With Renfe in Spain, it's already more complicated, and Adif is a terrible barrier. But we're waiting for a formal convening of a users' committee and for it to be a body that meets regularly.

And the joint venture that is to be established, do you think it will help solve anything?

— Being able to unify, at least, the main administration and the operating company is a very positive step, in the sense that trust must be built between all the system's stakeholders. Therefore, the fact that these stakeholders are close to the territory and have trust among themselves seems to me to be two fairly objective elements that should improve the system as a whole. We'll still have the roads.

In the midst of all this attempt at unification, the train drivers have forced this company to become dependent on Renfe. Why are they so powerful?

— I don't know. What we at the PTP do believe is that it's necessary to guarantee a stable workforce in Catalonia. They have the right to mobility, and this is perfectly logical, but the lack of stability is one of the factors that also harms the system because it means you constantly have a workforce with little experience.

Don't train drivers want to work in Catalonia?

— It's one of the most complex systems to manage. This is a network where you can battle, learn, and get your edge. They learn and move on to a quieter place.

If we look at the stations, the deficiencies in escalators and elevators are also a constant. There are almost a hundred escalators and elevators, and lights that don't work. Is there a solution?

— This again contradicts the minister: more investment is possible. To improve all of this, for example.

If everything were in your hands, what would be the first thing you would do to resolve the chaos in the Cercanías?

— I would set up a technical team that listens to and is listened to by all stakeholders and that leads the way. One that listens to users, makes technical decisions, and is also listened to by the authorities.