Catalonia is about to take a step forward in its powers regarding its railway network. The Government of Salvador Illa is convinced of going ahead with the transfer of Rodalies, agreed between ERC and the PSOE in the agreement for the investiture of Pedro Sánchez, and is already preparing to take control of the first line, the R1, in addition to continue preparing the Generalitat-State joint company that must replace Renfe as operator of the entire commuter service in Catalonia.
Regarding the company that will replace Renfe, which could represent one of the most notable changes for users, the Government promised this Tuesday at a press conference that the new operator will be ready “before the end of 2025.”
“Catalonia needs and deserves quality public transport. We are working in a country where the trains leave on time in the morning,” said the spokesperson councilor, Silvia Paneque, who is also head of the department that manages transport services.
Before its entry into operation, the Government plans to present the statutes of the new company “in the first quarter of this year”, which represents a delay of several months compared to what was initially agreed. Salvador Illa’s Executive, however, sticks out his chest and assures that the acceleration in Rodalias shows that they are committed to complying with the agreements reached with their partners.
Beyond having its own operating company to begin moving trains in 2026, the Government has taken a small but necessary step this Tuesday to end up assuming the central section of line R1, which will change ownership from the Ministry to the Generalitat. This is the formal request for the Government to exclude this infrastructure from the railway catalog of general interest. The declassification will affect all sections of the line that are only used by Rodalies, which are those susceptible to being transferred.
Once the section of R1 is removed from the general interest network, the Government and Generalitat will stage the transfer in the mixed commission, which is scheduled to be held next February, when both administrations could also meet to seal agreements on financing. . But for the transfer of the line to be effective, it must be approved by a new Council of Ministers.
That the Generalitat takes control of a Rodalies line is a question above all symbolic, since it will be the first route of its kind that is transferred from the State to an Autonomous Community. However, the changes in the short term will be minimal, since the counselor has made it clear that Adif will continue to maintain management of the line for a time, without specifying how long, to guarantee an orderly transition.
In the soap opera about Rodalies that has lasted more than a decade and a half, some issues have been especially traumatic, such as the effects on the service that have harmed its users. To address this issue, more important than the ownership of the line and even its operation are economic investments.
In this area, Minister Paneque has made it clear that despite the changes that will be carried out, all investments, both those agreed with the Ministry through Adif, and the injection of 77 million to Renfe announced a few weeks ago, are absolutely guaranteed.
“We are experiencing a situation in close proximity that is the result of years of disinvestment. That is why investments have been reactivated that will take time,” said Paneque, who has pointed out the Roda de Bera and R3 works as strategic. The Government believes that within a two-year horizon, users will be able to experience first-hand the improvements in the service that these economic injections will bring.
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