MadridIn 2009, a first chapter was closed with Rodalies. That year, the State and Generalitat agreed on the transfer of service planning (schedules and rates). But over time, after a trickle of incidents and delays, as well as a lack of investment, that step has been cut short. At least in the eyes of the Generalitat, which year after year has demanded the “complete” transfer: ownership, roads and catenaries and the necessary financial resources.
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This is the second chapter of Rodalies, open for more than a decade, which PSOE and ERC have closed this Thursday, as part of the negotiations to invest Pedro Sánchez. However, beyond the political commitment, the tangible transfer of Rodalies will not be imminent and, therefore, neither will the closure of this portfolio. In fact, the “culmination” will be extended during the legislature. “The agreement is still hot and there are some details that need to be finalized”, assumed Government sources this Thursday evening. Here are the homework from now on:
New public company
The main innovation is the creation of a publicly owned company called Rodalies Catalunya which in the future – no date has been set – aspires to be the current Renfe in Catalonia. This company will have “equal” representation between Renfe and the Government, although the latter will have a “quality vote” through the president, according to sources from the Generalitat. However, like any company, it will have to establish statutes and it will be in these where the fine print will appear. At the moment, it is known that in “strategic” decisions a “qualified majority” will be needed.
Until the company is launched, Renfe will continue to be the operator. It is not expected that a program contract between Generalitat and Renfe for their services will be signed in this time frame.
Operator functions
This new company will be provided with material and human resources to be able to operate the service. It should be remembered that Renfe is currently the Spanish public operator that manages trains and the transport of passengers and goods (both conventional and high-speed trains). She is also responsible for fleet maintenance.
This process will not be much less immediate because from the start Renfe will have to segregate its muscle in Catalonia, which mainly affects the workforce. “Labor flexibility between the two will be facilitated [empreses] and the rights acquired by the workers will be respected”, say Government sources, who do not specify how many employees may be affected. This message has been sent to reassure employees, who have already shown misgivings about the agreement.
How much money are we talking about?
Currently, the Ministry of Transport pays Renfe, as operator, the money it costs to maintain the service (operating deficit). With the transfer, the money will go to the new company. However, while it is not created, they will already be paid to the Generalitat, which will then pay them to Renfe (according to Government sources, next year it will be around 335 million euros). The next annuities will be calculated year by year through a commission between the State and the Generalitat. The existing debt with Renfe will also be covered as part of the Action Plan (132 million euros).
Tracks: transfer of sections
Adif, which depends on the Ministry of Transport, owns most of the tracks and the railway equipment. Although the Generalitat “does not renounce” any kind of road, the agreement only mentions some of them and it is made clear that they will be exclusively for Rodalies. At the outset, therefore, those used for the transport of goods are left out. It should be borne in mind that Madrid has always been willing to segregate only some routes from the network, because others, it claims, are “state interest infrastructures”: they connect with France and other autonomous communities.
The agreement states that the transfer will include, “at least, the Maresme line of the R1, the Papiol-l’Hospitalet-Vic-Puigcerdà line of the R3 and the Sant Vicenç de Calders line of the R2”. This is not to be confused with a whole line, but the “sections” of infrastructure that will be crossed and defined in a final document will be negotiated.
More punctuality?
The stars are not precisely aligned for this Thursday’s agreement to translate, at least in the short term, into fewer headaches for Rodalies users in terms of punctuality and incidents. If one thing will mark the year 2024, it will be the avalanche (known and announced) of works, necessary to improve an infrastructure that has led to a lack of investment and execution since the 2000s. Among the roads affected are the R3 and the his split But also the Sagrera works and the Arc de Triomf station – a key project for lines R1, R3 and R4.
2023-11-02 21:01:14
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