The decision, announced by Santano in an interview on 3Cat, follows weeks of railway chaos across the Catalan network. The Secretary of State argued that the new structure is “reasonable” given that Rodalies is a company partially owned by Renfe, and that the person agreed upon by the Ministry and the Generalitat should oversee the entire operation. Playà’s appointment is imminent.
“"Proximity improves the service. It is a good time to eliminate the dual leadership and improve coordination."
This confirmation responds to a formal request by ERC, which questioned the Minister of Territory, Sílvia Paneque, in the Parlament on the same Wednesday. The Republican spokesperson, Ester Capella, requested that the new head of the mixed Rodalies company also manage Renfe Catalunya as a preliminary step towards a total transfer of the operator, which should eventually be “100% Catalan”.
“"The railway crisis of recent days demonstrates that the time has come to accelerate the transfer of competencies. Whoever leads Rodalies must have the capacity to make all necessary decisions."
Minister Paneque agreed that the crisis opens an “opportunity” for the full integration of Catalonia into the operation and infrastructure of the new company. Meanwhile, Santano reiterated the forecast that the network will fully recover next Monday, with the exception of the points affected by the disruption in Gelida and the Rubí tunnel.
