Renfe has maintained that neither of the two recent rail accidents, both the one that occurred in Urda (Toledo) last Wednesday and the one recorded in Adamuz on January 18, can be considered the company’s responsibility. The operator has stressed that maintenance, conservation, and infrastructure management tasks do not form part of its competencies, since its function is "exclusively" the provision of passenger and freight transport services.
In a note released this Saturday, the public company has underlined that linking these events to "supposed shortcomings" in the safety of the railway material under its scope or to its work organization "makes no sense".
The company has indicated that this clarification responds to the information appearing in recent days about its management structure. In this regard, Renfe has defended that all appointments "comply with current regulations" and are based on criteria of ability, professional experience, and suitability for each position.
In addition, it has emphasized that the members of its management bodies accumulate experience in mobility, public management, engineering, transport planning, innovation, and business management. At the same time, it has rejected "the generic disqualifications" that, in its view, seek to "question their professionalism and commitment to public service".
Regarding the personnel section, Renfe has explained that the increase in spending responds "fundamentally" to the application of the replacement rate and to the gradual incorporation of new professionals. It has specified that this reinforcement has been accelerated after the agreement reached with the unions in February, which has made it possible to hire 1,999 people so far this year, with 157 positions still to be called. In this framework, personnel spending has risen from 1,058 to 1,236 million euros.
According to the operator, this is the largest staff reinforcement in the last two decades, aimed at increasing safety. Among the measures adopted, it has mentioned the doubling of the number of operators in the Operations Management Center (CGO), the creation of a new professional category, the presence of an inspector on all trains, and the incorporation of workshop specialists to reinforce rolling stock maintenance.
Regarding senior management compensation, Renfe has recalled that they are regulated by Royal Decree 451/2012 and that the annual increases are those set for the entire state public sector in the General State Budget Law (LPGE). For this reason, it has insisted that they do not exceed the legal limits nor have they undergone variations outside what is established.
Priority attention to the victims
Renfe has reiterated that its "main concern" is the victims and the people affected, and that the organization as a whole is "deeply affected" by Wednesday's accident. The company has again expressed its solidarity with the relatives of the Renfe workers involved and with the passengers on its train and on Iryo's train.
Likewise, it has guaranteed that it will continue collaborating "fully" with the open investigations and that it will maintain as priority axes the attention to the victims, safety in railway operations, and the provision of "a quality public service".