Renfe President Disputes Catalonian Government's Claims on Rodalies Train Availability
Disagreement arises over the operational status of Rodalies trains, highlighting maintenance issues and infrastructure needs.
The president of Renfe, Álvaro Fernández Heredia, has publicly challenged claims made by the Catalonian government regarding the operational status of Rodalies trains.
The controversy originated from statements made by Sílvia Paneque, the consellera de Territori, who reported that one in four Rodalies trains is out of service due to insufficient maintenance facilities in Catalonia.
Fernández Heredia responded through social media, stating, "No, one in four trains in Rodalies are not out of service.
This is false no matter how often it is repeated," although he did not directly address the consellera.
The data referenced by the Generalitat was based on service evaluations from the end of 2024, which indicated that 24% of the rolling stock was immobilized at various times, amounting to as many as 65 out of 272 trains in the fleet.
However, subsequent confirmations from company sources indicated that this figure was indeed accurate.
In his social media post, Fernández Heredia acknowledged issues with train availability affecting their operation in double compositions, leading to overcrowding during peak times.
He revised the out-of-service figure from the Generalitat's reported 24% to 18%, which is still above the typical 10-15% range considered standard in the rail industry.
Fernández Heredia emphasized that since February, the number of trains out of service has halved, expressing a commitment to resolving operational issues by summer.
In contrast, the Generalitat has indicated that the resolution of problems is contingent upon the long-term construction of new maintenance facilities across the network, which aims to enhance maintenance capabilities and service reliability.
The controversy originated from statements made by Sílvia Paneque, the consellera de Territori, who reported that one in four Rodalies trains is out of service due to insufficient maintenance facilities in Catalonia.
Fernández Heredia responded through social media, stating, "No, one in four trains in Rodalies are not out of service.
This is false no matter how often it is repeated," although he did not directly address the consellera.
The data referenced by the Generalitat was based on service evaluations from the end of 2024, which indicated that 24% of the rolling stock was immobilized at various times, amounting to as many as 65 out of 272 trains in the fleet.
However, subsequent confirmations from company sources indicated that this figure was indeed accurate.
In his social media post, Fernández Heredia acknowledged issues with train availability affecting their operation in double compositions, leading to overcrowding during peak times.
He revised the out-of-service figure from the Generalitat's reported 24% to 18%, which is still above the typical 10-15% range considered standard in the rail industry.
Fernández Heredia emphasized that since February, the number of trains out of service has halved, expressing a commitment to resolving operational issues by summer.
In contrast, the Generalitat has indicated that the resolution of problems is contingent upon the long-term construction of new maintenance facilities across the network, which aims to enhance maintenance capabilities and service reliability.
Translation:
Translated by AI
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