The transfer of Rodalies agreed between ERC and the PSOE in exchange for the investiture of Pedro Sánchez already has a first date on the calendar. The Department of Territory and the Ministry of Transport plan to begin in January 2025 the technical procedure to transfer the infrastructure of the Rodalies R1 line, which connects the coastal region of Maresme with Barcelona and several municipalities in the metropolitan area.
This was decided at the second meeting of the monitoring committee for the transfer of Rodalies held this Thursday, in the midst of negotiations between ERC and the PSC for the possible investiture of Salvador Illa as president of the Generalitat. At the meeting, an agreement in principle was also reached to increase the financing of Rodalies, which must be finalised in the joint committee on economic and financial affairs.
As regards the transfer of the first Rodalies line that passes through Barcelona, the objective of both administrations is to have all the documentation ready on the infrastructure, security, signalling and stations of the R1 before 31 October. Once analysed, the transfer proposal will be submitted in January 2025 so that it can be executed.
The commercial company Rodalies Catalunya must assume the material and human resources of Renfe in Catalonia and its board of directors will be composed equally of representatives of the General State Administration and the Generalitat, according to the agreement sealed between ERC and PSOE within the framework of Pedro Sánchez’s investiture in November of last year.
The agreement states that the Ministry will transfer to the Generalitat the ownership of the railway infrastructure in which the services provided are owned by the Generalitat and can be excluded from the joint operation of the rest of the General Interest Railway Network. The sections to be transferred include, at least, lines R1, R2 and R3, and only the transfer of tracks that do not affect traffic with other autonomous communities or internationally and that do not include freight traffic will be considered.
The company will provide the service once the transfer is completed, and the Generalitat will have a majority stake, although strategic decisions will require a “qualified majority”.
Catalan government sources have indicated this Thursday that the process of transferring lines R2 and R3 will begin in December next year, reports the Catalan News Agency (ACN). The inclusion of the R4 and R16 infrastructures in the sections to be transferred will also be studied.
Source: www.eldiario.es
