The 'Madrid DF' concept was coined by Pasqual Maragall in an article published in 2001, shortly after José María Aznar began his government with an absolute majority. Maragall warned that the popular leader's project aimed to absorb everything around it demographically, politically, and economically.
This project, initially conceived by Miguel Ángel Rodríguez, then an advisor to Aznar, is being completed a quarter of a century later by Isabel Díaz Ayuso. Since Maragall published his article, only Catalonia has maintained its economic influence, contributing 18% of the Spanish GDP, while the rest of the territory has become an economic desert.
“"He who can do, let him do."
The catastrophic week on the Barcelona Commuter Rail (Rodalies) is presented as a metaphor for the consequences of this centralization. The analysis highlights that in Madrid, 110% of the budgeted funds for railway infrastructure are executed, while in Catalonia, execution stands between 30% and 40%, a disparity maintained under both PP and PSOE governments.
This policy has resulted in Madrid's Commuter Rail gaining 15 million users in 15 years, while the Barcelona service has lost 10 million in the same period. Furthermore, the lack of High-Speed Rail (AVE) infrastructure between Barcelona and Valencia is questioned, despite them being Spain's second and third largest cities, concluding that transport policy has been pure ideology for decades.
