4,896 million euros compared to 819. That is the war of figures between the central government and the Community of Madrid in regards to the economic investment made in the regional Cercanías service since 2018 and which has led to the Administration chaired by Pedro Sánchez speaks of a “historic” figure while the one directed by Isabel Díaz Ayuso calls it “insufficient.”
This dialogue of the deaf was evident yesterday in the meeting held by the Secretary of State for Transport, David Lucas, and the Minister of Housing, Transport and Infrastructure, Jorge Rodrigo, within the framework of the Monitoring Commission of the Comprehensive Service Improvement Plan of Madrid Cercanías, which had not been mentioned since last March. A meeting in which the Madrid Executive reiterated its discomfort at the continuous incidents on the regional Cercanías network, “which all Madrid residents pay for.” The last one last Monday with five lines interrupted for about an hour.
“We consider that not enough is being invested, it is true that in today’s meeting we are given a series of data, a series of amounts that are supposed to be mobilized, that are invested, that are committed, but really investment as such We have only been able to see that from 2018 to 2022 there are 819 million and that seems to us to be an investment for the number of Madrid residents who use the Madrid Cercanías network,” he censured.
As explained, these 819 million euros correspond to infrastructure, to which the amount of more than 2,100 million euros should be added for the purchase of rolling stock, specifically, 211 cars that will be incorporated into the Cercanías network, according to the Ministry has explained, at the beginning of 2025.
“We cannot continue like this, we are tired, the regional government is tired and most importantly, the people of Madrid are tired,” stressed the Madrid councilor.
For his part, the Secretary of State for Infrastructure has defended the investment as “historic.” According to him, there are already projects worth more than 7,000 million, of which 4,896 million have already been executed. 68%.
In this sense, the Madrid councilor has not only complained about the lack of investment but has recalled that, “every time there are breakdowns in Cercanías, the Regional Transport Consortium has to provide “complementary means” of buses or Metro, which “Madridians are paying.”
From the Ministry, Lucas the reliability of the trains and the provision of the service, with data for the month of October pointing to 97.5% punctuality. “We are aware of the incidents that may have occurred, we are aware that when we invest a lot, when we improve the infrastructure, when we improve the flying material, some malfunctions occur. Hence Renfe’s motto of ‘Excuse the improvements’, but It is true that these types of incidents occur, when not all incidents occur due to inclement weather, with the entire network being outside, or also, on some occasions, due to acts of vandalism,” he explained.
Within this framework of willingness to collaborate, both administrations have agreed that the meetings of the Monitoring Subcommittee of the Comprehensive Plan for Improvements in Madrid Commuter Services will be held every six months.
As Rodrigo explained, the objective is for technicians from both administrations “to have the opportunity to work together because it interests us all.” “Of course, for the regional government, mobility services are fundamental and our priority,” he explained.
