As the Living section explains today, Oriol Estival, 24, lives in Vallgorguina (Vallès Oriental) and studies in Barcelona. He travels the 50 kilometers between the two points by train. Between round trips, he spends almost four hours traveling. Anyone could think that there is no harm in the world and that, in that time, Oriol can take the opportunity to study and obtain magnificent grades. But, at least in the morning, those good resolutions are impossible because they are like sardines in a can in the car. Every year, public transport managers, be it Rodalies, Ferrocarrils or Metro, count users as if each figure were a record to beat to measure their success, without thinking about the feeling of frustration that accumulates behind those numbers, authentic automatons within of a crowd that every morning invades the trains, stations and corridors of these public services.
Rodalies tickets are now free and the rest have substantially lowered their prices. Even so, there has not been an increase in users who, in theory, were going to abandon the private vehicle to switch to Renfe trains without hesitation, probably because Oriol, if he could afford the car, would save two hours every time he has to go to class. So it is not the price of public transport that makes it less attractive compared to individuals.
It has been many years since major plans have been drawn up in this area. Only debts from the past are dragged. Rodalies is already part of the recent history of Catalan politics as an emblem of discomfort towards power concentrated in Madrid. And different central governments have earned it by hand. But the Catalan administrations have also given up planning ambitious projects within their powers for years. The subway or the train entail costly, annoying works, and politics seeks immediate satisfaction, not promises. So users not only go like sardines in the wagons, but on top of that they have to put up with the can of political reproaches about who is the best manager of their patience.
