The president of the Junta de Andalucía, Juanma Moreno, stated this Thursday that he "right now would not travel on the AVE, at least on the line to Madrid" that connects with the Andalusian community.
In an interview on Antena 3, collected by Europa Press, Moreno admitted that he did not imagine that, after the railway tragedy of Adamuz (Córdoba) in January, a disaster could be repeated on the high-speed line between Madrid and Andalucía, such as the one that occurred yesterday at the station of Urda (Toledo), which has already left 74 dead.
"That in nine months we are once again living through this terrible nightmare and moreover with this helplessness. It is the same track that unites Madrid with Andalucía," the Andalusian president underlined, who wanted to convey the "sadness" that is felt these days in Andalucía, a land whose population is characterized by being "joyful".
When asked if he will continue using the AVE, Juanma Moreno replied: "With complete confidence, right now I would not travel on the AVE, at least on the Madrid to Andalucía line, and I say it exactly as I feel it until the entire line is inspected."
He explained that now he has more first-hand information and that they convey to him "the lack of maintenance, the lack of resources or the lack of means" from associations and unions of railway workers. For that reason, he reiterated his request to the central Government so that it "reviews the entire high-speed line from Madrid to Andalucía because right now it is not safe."
"120 dead in nine months; right now in the mortality rate by rail, Spain is the first in the world and that is not normal. We cannot normalize something that is not normal," Moreno warned, insisting that "it is not normal that in high speed there are two accidents in nine months," with more than 120 fatal victims.
"I, of course, right now do not feel any kind of security, nor any guarantee, and even more so hearing the words of the Minister of Public Works (Oscar Puente)," the head of the Andalusian Executive emphasized.
Among those killed in the railway disaster of Urda is the president of the Fundación CEOE and former Minister of Employment and Social Security under PP governments, Fátima Báñez, "a very good friend and a person who whenever she could help, helped," according to Moreno.
He has recalled that "not only was she a good politician, a good manager, one of those we unfortunately miss so much now, a person who gave the best of herself for others, but also very committed to her land, to San Juan del Puerto, to Huelva, to Andalucía and to Spain; and we are going to remember her as she was, cheerful, full of life, talkative and a good friend", pointing out that her absence will be greatly felt in the PP.
Moreno has pointed out that there are countless families going through a situation similar to that of the former minister: "A feeling of emptiness, of rage and helplessness, losing people who are healthy, who are, many of them, in the prime of their lives and who all of a sudden disappear". "That is what has us all practically in shock, we are talking about Fátima, but we could talk about so many broken lives between Adamuz and this accident, which is dramatic", he lamented.