The PP, Compromís, and Vox have once again attacked the central Government, and in particular the Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, for the decision to reinforce the Cercanías network of Valencia with trains already used in Madrid instead of newly manufactured units. In response to these criticisms, the PSPV has demanded not to "exaggerate," has assured that these trains will represent an improvement in service, and has emphasized that they are "in perfect working condition."
The parties have expressed themselves in this way before the media this Friday in Les Corts, before the meeting of the Permanent Deputation, in the same week that the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility has announced that it will increase the capacity of the electrified lines of the Valencia Cercanías core (C-1, C-2, and C-6) by 30 percent. This increase will be achieved by replacing the current fleet with "more modern and higher capacity" trains.
According to the Ministry's details in a note, the new fleet for these Cercanías will consist of 41 Civia series 465 trains, which will gradually replace the 34 trains of Series 447 and the seven of Series 464 that currently operate on these three lines.
The PP spokesperson, Nando Pastor, has reproached Pedro Sánchez's Executive and, specifically, the Minister of Transport, for sending "second-hand trains" to the Comunitat Valenciana and presenting them "as the great solutions to the problems of the Cercanías" of the region, something he has described as "unacceptable." Furthermore, he has insisted that Óscar Puente is a minister "especially aggressive and unfriendly" and that with this decision he treats the Comunitat as a "second-class" region.
"It is unacceptable that they send us second-hand material selling it as if it were first-class," emphasized the 'popular' spokesperson, who lamented that the central Government "thinks that Valencians are second-class citizens" and has urged the execution of the Cercanías Plan with infrastructures "suitable for the great demand of the service."
Vox speaks of "mockery" and "joke" to the Valencians
The Vox spokesman, José Mª Llanos, has stated that what happened with the Cercanías trains is yet another example of how the "mafia government is mocking the Spaniards and, specifically, the Valencians" and has criticized that the Ministry intends to "pass off as new trains that some have already been in circulation for 20 years in Madrid." "The truth is that it is a joke and really a mockery for the Valencians," he said.
Likewise, he has demanded that the Cercanías Plan be executed and has reproached that, in the "more than eight years of --Pedro-- Sánchez's government, not even 44% has been executed." "Seeing that, we are not surprised by this new mockery, this new scam to the Valencians by the government of Sánchez and Puente, who lie to us every time they speak," he added.
Compromís asks not to confuse a "transitory solution" with modernization
The Compromís deputy Paula Espinosa, in statements to Europa Press, has considered that the arrival of more trains to increase the capacity of lines C-1, C-2, and C-6 is "positive and an immediate urgency to solve," but has warned that one should not "confuse a transitory solution with the modernization that the Valencian Cercanías need."
In this line, she has denounced that for "too many years the State has prioritized the AVE to the detriment of the railway that the majority of the population needs and uses" and has demanded for the Comunitat Valenciana "a real commitment to Cercanías" that translates into "more investment, more frequencies, electrification, and the solution to the structural deficiencies of the network."
"The social, economic, and environmental priority is in Cercanías. And that should also be the priority of the Ministry and the minister who should reach agreements with all the political and social actors in Valencia before acting alone," she has pointed out.
Compromís has registered in Congress several written questions addressed to the Government of Spain to demand, among other aspects, the "specific criteria" that Renfe and the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility have followed to send used trains from Madrid to the Cercanías network of Valencia instead of new units. The coalition questions "why material with between 14 and 23 years of age has been chosen" and why "the 41 Civia 465 units destined for the Cercanías core of Valencia mainly come from the Madrid service" instead of being newly manufactured.
The PSPV defends that the trains are "in perfect use"
For its part, the spokesperson of the PSPV, José Muñoz, has defended against the criticisms of the opposition that the incorporation of these units will mean for the Cercanías network of Valencia an "improvement compared to yesterday," something that, he said, "we will all share," and he insisted that the intention of the Government of Spain is to reinforce this service in all the autonomous communities.
"What is going to be a reality is that we are going to have newer trains that are in perfect condition for use. Therefore, they will increase capacity and we estimate that they will make the Cercanías of the Comunitat Valenciana better than they were yesterday. I believe that this is going to be a reality and it contrasts with other governments," he pointed out.
In this sense, he expressed his surprise that the PP "puts their hands to their heads over this" when during the seven years of Mariano Rajoy's mandate "zero trains were purchased." "This is not that there were newer and older trains, it is that there was no train for the Comunitat Valenciana," he emphasized.
In his view, "that is the radical difference between the Government of Spain of Pedro Sánchez, which is bringing trains to increase capacity and improve the service, versus a government of the neglect of Mariano Rajoy that brought zero trains." Therefore, he called on the PP "not to exaggerate and, above all, to be consistent with their ineffectiveness and ineptitude during the years of Rajoy's government in Madrid."