Another incident in Madrid’s regional train service has brought to light the ongoing mismanagement of public services by the Socialist government.
The regional train service that connects the Spanish capital to its outlying cities and towns is operated by the central—not the regional—government. It has been plagued by accidents in recent months that have, fortunately, not caused any serious injuries or deaths but have caused serious disruptions in train service. While the regional government has called on the central government to address the situation, the government of socialist Pedro Sánchez has only continued to blame the regional government for the problems.
Another rather serious incident took place on Tuesday when a train heading south from the capital had to stop mid-journey. Passengers were kept on the train for about fifty minutes without air conditioning or any updates on the problem. As the temperature in the train increased, some passengers started to faint. Finally, one passenger activated the alarm system which opened the doors and allowed the passengers to leave. It resulted in the alarming scene of the passengers walking down the tracks to reach the nearest station, a dangerous situation as well. The incident also caused delays of around 25 minutes on three other lines.
Travelers waiting at the station where the stranded passengers arrived on foot were shocked. One traveler commented on social media, where others had posted videos of the incident, that it is “unheard of to see people walking on the tracks in Atocha. The T-4 train will come this way in a minute. What is going on today!” In the video, Hundreds of people enter the station on foot.
The cause of this incident was a signal failure, according to Spanish train operator RENFE.
Jorge Rodrigo, Madrid’s regional transportation councilor, sent a letter to Óscar Puente, transportation minister, urging him to convene the “Cercanías Monitoring Commission which should be held at least every six months, and that has not met since October 2023. The Technical Coordination Group has not been convened either, whose periodicity had been established as quarterly.”
“This lack of diligence in convening meetings seriously affects the principles of cooperation, governance and transparency that should govern the relationship between our administrations,” Rodrigo reminded Puente.
He also requested the government “convene the Transport Sector Conference, which has not been meeting for almost two years, in order to know the Ministry’s investment plans in the autonomous communities, especially in matters as important as rail transport, roads and airports.”
These incidents have also occurred while the Sánchez government has directed more and more funding to Catalonia to placate separatists at the expense of financing for the rest of the country.
