The former president of Renfe, Álvaro Fernández Heredia, has published a message on his social media to say goodbye to the company, in which he “fully and in the first person assumes responsibility for not having known how to avoid the current situation.”
Heredia, who held the presidency of the rail operator with Óscar Puente heading the Ministry of Transport at the time when the tragedies of Adamuz (Córdoba) and Urda (Toledo) took place, has released a text of thanks to the company and has highlighted the main milestones achieved during his term, which began in January 2025.
In a letter made public on the social network X, he has recognized that these have been some “difficult” months and that the sequence of incidents has not always allowed the company to materialize “the improvements planned with the necessary drive.” “Fortunately, I have always felt surrounded by a great team committed to reversing adversity,” he added.
Rejects that his departure implies responsibilities for Renfe
Next, he has again assumed “fully” responsibility for not having known how to avoid the current scenario and has conveyed to the workforce his commitment to combating “any attempt to interpret” his dismissal as an assumption of responsibility by Renfe, which, in his view, “has always been the injured party and, day by day, has fought to provide the service under the best possible conditions.”
“The feeling of camaraderie that can be sensed in every corner of Renfe is admirable, and I feel privileged to have witnessed and shared it. I can’t help but ask you to keep taking care of one another in the way you do,” he emphasized, highlighting the staff’s involvement.
In the final part of his letter, Heredia stresses that he can only express gratitude to the company for everything he has learned, for the support received to defend the company, for its vocation of service, and for its dedication to traveling people, even “in the most difficult situations.”
“All my life I have admired Renfe from outside, I have lived it intensely and with pride every day I have been at the helm of it, and I will always feel as a privilege to have been part of this great company during this brief period. Thank you, thank you, and thank you,” he concluded in his farewell message.