The demonstration that will take place in Barcelona has the motto “Not in my name.” A wish that the Catalan Civil Society (SCC) expresses regarding an amnesty that, although no one has specified it, is on the lips of political news in the context of a possible investiture of Pedro Sánchez. But the Government sees more motivations than the protest against the amnesty and this afternoon it has called it “anti-Catalanist” and “Catalanophobic”.
It was the spokesperson for the Catalan Executive, Patrícia Plaja, who expressed herself in this way at today's press conference after the ordinary meeting of the Consell Executiu. “This weekend's demonstration is not for anything, it is against the Catalans. It is clear who calls it and who has confirmed their attendance," added Plaja in reference to SCC and the personalities who have announced their presence: the leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, and the leader of Vox, Santiago Abascal.
The spokesperson wanted to consider separately the participation of the president of the popular parties. After failing in her investiture last week, Plaja has urged him to reflect on "what having become an extreme right that goes hand in hand with the extreme right is bringing him."
In any case, Plaja has stated that anyone who demonstrates in Barcelona this Sunday "has complete freedom to do so" and has stressed that the Government always defends freedom of expression.
The demonstration against the amnesty at a time when the PSOE is entering into talks with ERC and Junts to explore the possibilities of Sánchez's investiture. Amnesty is one of the sine qua non conditions. It is raised by the independentists. Esquerra adds other folders, such as overcoming the fiscal deficit and the complete transfer of Rodalies. Precisely, this Tuesday the train service has experienced another chaotic day, a fact that the Government has taken advantage of to redouble the pressure on the socialists and, although Plaja has not dared to mark the transfer as a red line, he has. described as “essential”. However, he has assured that Sánchez “would have to get his act together”, because according to him the negotiation is progressing too slowly. “I should make a move and be brave,” he said in line with the words expressed by Pere Aragonès during last week's general policy debate in the Parlamenr.
“The consequences of the disastrous Rodalies service are enormous, not only on a logistical level for what it means for users who cannot reach their workplace, study or their daily obligations, but also on an economic level,” Plaja highlighted. Here it has been supported by a study by the Chamber of Commerce, from January to April 2023, which estimates that the most relevant incidents have translated into half a million lost hours, equivalent to 65,000 full-time working days. The impact on companies has been estimated at 13 million euros in those four months.
The spokesperson insisted that “what should be a reference service is a nightmare.” That is why the Government has requested the urgent and comprehensive transfer of the Rodalies service. “The Spanish Government has amply demonstrated that it is absolutely incompetent to manage the trains in Catalonia and also does not care in the slightest,” she remarked before judging that “it is urgent to reverse so many years of neglect.”
For her part, Natàlia Mas, Ministry of Economy, has also denounced that in 2021 Adif and Renfe only executed 19% of the budgeted investments in Catalonia. That is, of the 1,462 million euros planned, 282 million were invested. “And the State refuses to publish the data for 2022,” she added.
The Government's claim is based on the accumulation of incidents recorded this morning on different Rodalies lines, which has caused widespread delays for thousands of passengers during rush hour. The Generalitat emphasizes that today is not a specific situation. According to data from the Territori Department, an incident occurred every two days in the months of July and August. The most notorious of them was the derailment of a Talgo train without passengers in Sitges. A third of the delays, however, are related to accidents and other external causes that have nothing to do with the infrastructure or the trains.
The Government has taken advantage of today's crisis to once again bring to the fore a report already made public before the summer. It estimates 831 serious incidents recorded during 2022 on the Rodalies and medium distance network, according to data from the railway infrastructure manager (Adif). It is a figure that has been increasing in recent years due to the large number of works that are taking place at the same time in different points.
The Government has noted that it is investing in the Rodalies network in a way that has not been seen for decades. But there are still restrictions on the service and significant impacts resulting from associated incidents. For example, passengers on the Vilafranca line know this well, as they have been enduring constant delays for months due to the works on the Mediterranean corridor in Castellbisbal and the burial of Sant Feliu. And users of the Vic line will begin to notice it starting next week, when there will be a first cut of more than three months to begin doubling the track. What in the long run will be a significant improvement, in the short term will lead to incidents and lengthen travel time.
