Two derailments in less than 48 hours, resulting in nearly fifty casualties—at least 43 in Adamuz (Córdoba) and another in Gélida (Barcelona)—have prompted the train drivers’ union to call for a strike on February 9, 10, and 11 to demand “infrastructure safety.” Their indignation is immense—derailments have doubled in a decade—and they appear fed up with the Ministry of Transport for disregarding their constant complaints regarding the state of the infrastructure.
Following the liberalization of the sector, these infrastructures have seen traffic from various operators multiply without a proportional increase in maintenance. In fact, ADIF—the infrastructure owner—currently has 20 active alerts for “breaks, defects, and poor condition” of the tracks. Furthermore, the weekly report provided to drivers exceeds 200 pages of incidents, the majority of which are located in Andalusia.
Just yesterday, the Minister of Transport, Oscar Puente, during his appearance to explain the causes of the Ademuz accident—something he was unable to do, leaving all possibilities open—essentially called a train driver a “whinger.” This driver had recently filed 21 of the 25 complaints the Minister was aware of regarding another section of the rail line, the one connecting Madrid and Barcelona. This is another line under scrutiny where, following the Adamuz accident, the speed was limited to 160 km/h, only for that restriction to be lifted later… and then reinstated once again, sowing utter confusion among the drivers.
Thus, it is no surprise that the Spanish press, even those outlets aligned with the Government, are speaking of “railway chaos.”
- El País notes that: “The tragedy of a Rodalies train starkly reveals how railway deterioration is impacting activity in Barcelona…”
- ABC: “The railway chaos shatters the PSOE’s electoral strategy of showcasing its management in upcoming campaigns…”
- The newspaper El Mundo explains that: “The accumulation of evidence regarding the failure in the condition of the tracks has ultimately dismantled the Government’s strategy of shifting the focus toward other factors…”
- La Vanguardia explains that: The Government must take this challenge seriously—as difficult as it is to implement—which is making the country work.
