The Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, has asked for «confidence» from Rodalies train drivers and expressed his wish that the situation be resolved «soon». Speaking to Catalunya Ràdio, Puente avoided confirming the existence of a covert strike, but insisted that the suspension of service on Thursday was not due to safety reasons, as the network was verified on Wednesday.
“"I ask them for this confidence and to please leave the state of mind they are in and put the service back into operation."
Puente acknowledged that it is understandable that drivers are affected by the recent accidents, hoping that the «emotional soufflé subsides». Regarding the R4 accident in Gelida, the minister assured that the wall that collapsed had been «reviewed» previously, and that, pending investigation, the incident appears to be an «inevitable» event caused by the effects of heavy rain.
The minister defended that it was «sensible» to suspend the service on Wednesday to check the safety of the entire network after the storm. He also asked the drivers not to «damage» the railway system and recalled that actions are being taken to improve the network, although infrastructure interventions «cannot be done in a few hours».
Finally, Puente differentiated the Rodalies network from that of Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat (FGC), pointing out that the former suffers from historical «underinvestment» and has a unique layout more vulnerable to adverse weather conditions.
