A year ago, Raquel Sánchez (Gavá, 1975) made the leap from the Gavà City Council to the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda. She assures that the Government is making an effort to invest in Rodalies and urges Aragonès to recover the expansion project for the airport and the fourth ring road.
Is it feasible to free Rodalies / Cercanías on a collapsed railway network?
Yes, it is, but I want to point out the importance of the commitment to public transport like never before. The proposal must also be set in the context of the complicated circumstances of domestic economies as a result of the war in Ukraine. It is a stimulus and a relief for families and users of public transport.
Will it be possible to absorb the demand in lines that are already saturated? Will we see trains full to the brim?
An increase in demand of between 15 and 20% has been estimated. We are still at pre-covid levels, at 80%, and there is room to absorb the increase. If we reach these percentages, it will be good news to opt for public transport. We will monitor the process to see how your application works and we will reinforce with complementary measures to offer a good service.
The gratuity is carried out at a time when some lines in Catalonia are under construction. Is this going to affect?
One thing is the correct execution of the measure and another is the smooth running of the Rodalies plan, which obviously involves a series of incidents. We have explained them in the territory and it is a sign of the Government for reversing a previous disinvestment situation. And here a series of affectations derived from these works and not from the malfunctioning of the infrastructure must be assumed.
Does the train drivers' union predict that it may be a failure if the train drivers or the trains are not increased?
We are incorporating new machinists. We have spent a few months with difficulties in the incorporation due to the restrictions of the pandemic, but now it is solved. Renfe's rolling stock is also being renewed. The system is capable of supporting this greater demand that may be generated.
What did you think of the statements made by Vice President Jordi Puigneró who assured that “today's free total are tomorrow's cuts”?
I do not understand them. On the one hand, there are the investments in the Rodalies plan, in which since 2020 we have executed 550 million euros and 1,200 million have been awarded in this first phase. And we have already tendered more than 1,900. But we also want to offer help to citizens who are experiencing a complicated situation and who see how expensive the shopping cart is or how difficult it is to fill the petrol tank. We offer relief to the social majority of this country, to the middle and working classes, it is not populism. He is not a populist and I am surprised that a vice president who called for the non-payment of the Rodalies and supported this movement says so.
What savings can it mean for the user?
About 250 or 300 euros per person, depending on the title you use.
Will tourists travel for free?
No, this is a measure designed for recurring users, those who use public transport to go to their workplace or to study. It is this mobility that we want to promote and hopefully this measure will serve to retain more citizens with public transport. It will be applied to multi-trip titles and subscriptions, and we have until September 1 to make the corresponding adjustments. It is not a question of persecuting or supervising the citizen, but it will be necessary to introduce the appropriate measures to guarantee a reasonable use of this bonus and of this gratuity and that it responds to the objective for which it has been foreseen.
How much will the free cost cost the government?
We are doing the calculations and it will cost about 250 million euros that will benefit about 75 million trips. This, starting from the current demand, but it remains to be seen if there is an attraction of new users.
You have spoken before about the investments in Rodalies, but in 2021 the Government only executed 36% of what was budgeted in Catalonia.
We have tried to explain to the Government through the meeting of the bilateral commission all the investments that the ministry makes in the infrastructures of Catalonia. We start from a document in which the accounting figures do not take into account all the investments, which are 57%. Said report only refers to one type of investment and not to the whole of the total.
Is the number then not real?
In 2018, when we arrived at the Government, almost all the works were paralyzed. There were projects that had not been drafted, that had not been planned. We have invested an average of 1,200 million euros a year in Catalonia. In absolute terms, it is the community where more works and more investments have been executed. Sometimes the cold reading of the accounting figures does not reflect the evolution of the projects. We are talking about Rodalies, where more than ever is being invested, or the boost to the works of the Mediterranean corridor, the accesses to the airport, the 4 4 of the Sants station, the burial in Montcada and Sant Feliu. We have to plan, project and execute.
How are relations with the Generalitat?
The bilateral commission is working well, but the Government must also be self-critical because in Catalonia it is sometimes more difficult to advance in certain projects. I will give you the example of El Prat airport or the controversy generated when we presented an agreement to address the northern ring road between Terrassa and Sabadell, the result of an agreement technically validated by the town councils, the Generalitat and the Ministry. It is an agreement that is ready and we ask the Generalitat not to paralyze it.
What will end up happening with the Fourth Belt?
It is the Generalitat that has to draw up the project and promote it and the State will assume the cost of the investment.
Are they going to cross Rodalies?
A program contract between the Generalitat and the operator, Renfe, is necessary to pay for the services provided. The first thing that has to be specified is this question. The ministry has made a proposal to the Government and we would like to talk about the future because it is necessary to make it easier for Renfe to acquire new trains for use in Catalonia, although it should be noted that the Generalitat regulates frequencies, timetables and fares.
On Friday Sánchez and Aragonès met. ERC calls for amnesty and self-determination at the dialogue table. What can the Government offer?
The meeting is good news. There is no other way to resolve the differences that may exist if not through dialogue. Despite having different models, there are many issues that can be dealt with, always within the framework of the Constitution and legality. You can talk about everything and, for this reason, I also believe that in Catalonia, President Aragonès should promote the reunion and reconciliation with a table of parties.
Is social peace guaranteed with carriers?
This week we have announced a package of measures in addition to those adopted throughout this year. They will serve to improve the working conditions of carriers and freelancers, the last link in the chain, which is often the most affected so that they can work at a fair price.
The AP-7 suffers serious collapses and the accident rate has increased. Will tolls be recovered?
This is a debate that must be faced, but it must have the consensus of the autonomies, the affected sectors and the political parties. We have to go to a model that is fairer, that whoever pays for the maintenance of the roads is the one who uses them. But now is not the most opportune time to implement it.
Will the airport be expanded?
For us the project is still valid. The Generalitat was the one that distanced itself from an initial agreement that had been reached and we would like to return to the plan to create an intercontinental hub. It is the Government who has to say if it wants the investment.
