The President of the Government of Aragon, Jorge Azcón, has demanded the immediate implementation of an audit of rail management and security systems, as well as a shock plan that will make it possible to restore the good condition and performance of the main lines in the country, in view of the deterioration of the network and the loss of user trust.
"Today, the trust of an overwhelming majority of Aragonese in our country’s rail system is broken," he stressed, calling on the Ministry of Transport for clear explanations about the situation of the infrastructures and the contradictory information relating to possible service disruptions.
Azcón appeared this Monday, November 9, in the Sala de la Corona of the Edificio Pignatelli, after meeting with experts and representatives of different professional colleges to study railway problems and their impact on Aragon. The meeting also included the technical director of the European Alliance corREDores.eu and former president of the Commission of Investigation of Railway Accidents, Iñaki Barrón de Angoiti, together with representatives of the colleges of industrial engineers, of civil engineering and of telecommunications, among others.
The head of the regional executive explained that he convened this meeting due to the current situation of rail communications, which he described as "unsustainable," and due to the uncertainty, in his view, that travelers are suffering. "Aragonese need explanations, not more contradictions, and to put an end to the uncertainty that people face today every time they get on a train," he said.
As an example, he recalled that the previous Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, spoke about the possibility of interrupting a section of the rail line between Zaragoza and Madrid, while his successor, Carlos Cuerpo, denied that scenario afterward. For this reason, Azcón has announced that the Government of Aragon will request the technical reports that served as the basis for both positions.
"You can’t say one thing and its opposite in something as important as trains in our country and in Aragon and expect people to get on a train calmly," he emphasized.
The president has emphasized that the safety of passengers and the quality of the service must be placed at the forefront and has pointed out that the latest information about the condition of the network increases concern. In particular, he has referred to Adif data on the deterioration of rail reliability until 2030, with forecasts of more lateness, failure to meet maintenance targets, and the risk of new accidents.
In this scenario, he has recalled that in 2024 a "catastrophic risk" was detected that the system would not identify broken rails like the one that caused the accident in Adamuz. "Citizens have the right to know the real condition of the tracks, the real condition of the rail system," he has argued, calling for the authorities to inform with transparency about changes to sections and the operating conditions for high-speed rail.
AUDITS AND A SHOCK PLAN
From the meeting, a consensus institutional statement has emerged with the experts that will guide the next decisions of the Government of Aragón and that includes several actions. The main one is the urgent undertaking of an internal audit by Adif and an external audit of rail management and safety systems.
Azcón has highlighted as priorities rigorous planning of investments and maintenance, as well as avoiding interruptions to traffic that are not scheduled with sufficient notice and that do not provide transport alternatives. "The experts tell us that rail traffic cannot be cut in order to carry out work that has not been scheduled in detail, with sufficient advance notice and that has alternatives in transport by other routes," he has said.
The text likewise proposes a shock plan to recover the condition and improve the operational characteristics of the main rail lines, along with a long-term strategy on the track gauge and the connections of the Spanish rail network with the European corridors. The president has insisted that these measures must be supported by professionals with proven experience and be developed with the greatest possible consensus.
"What they are proposing is the assumption by all public and private actors of a culture of security, transparency, information, and professionalism," he has summarized. Along these lines, he has called for a State pact that puts "in front the safety of all users of the railway, of all users of the AVE."
According to Azcón, concern about the state of the railway is not limited to a feeling of insecurity. He has also warned of the economic impact that a prolonged shutdown of the high-speed line between Madrid, Zaragoza and Barcelona would have.
Based on the estimates he has provided, a disruption would generate a loss of 22 million euros in Aragón during the first six months, while the Association of Travel Agencies puts the extra cost of travel between Madrid, Zaragoza and Barcelona at around 100 million.
To measure the consequences for the business fabric and economic activity, the Department of Development has commissioned the Basilio Paraíso Foundation to produce a specific report that will make it possible to quantify the impact of a decision of this type. Azcón has said that the working group with the experts will remain active, with new meetings to share information and study solutions, although he has admitted that the problems that have accumulated "are not going to be solved from one day to the next."
RECOVER THE SERVICES OF THE MADRID-ZARAGOZA LINE
The technical director of the Alianza Europea corREDores.eu, Iñaki Barrón de Angoiti, has supported the need to keep the high-speed line operational and to recover the conditions with which it was designed. In his view, the report requested by the Aragonese Executive will make it possible to highlight a corridor that he considers key not only for the community, but also for Spain and Europe as a whole.
"It has to be kept open, but it has to be kept in good condition," he has stressed. Barrón has recalled that the infrastructure, inaugurated about 15 or 20 years ago, was designed to run at speeds of up to 350 kilometers per hour, although it has been losing performance due to accumulated problems.
The expert has emphasized that the recovery of the service must prioritize travel times and frequencies over the goal of reaching a specific maximum speed. "What the traveler is interested in, just like when I go on a plane, is to arrive at a certain time," he said.
Barrón has specified that the emergency plan must start from a detailed analysis of all elements of the infrastructure, from the tracks and sleepers to the electrification and the signaling systems.
In relation to the actions planned between Mejorada del Campo and Calatayud, he has confirmed that the aerot-sleepers designed by Adif seek to avoid the suction effect generated by the passage of trains at more than 300 kilometers per hour and the resulting displacement of the ballast.
The specialist has also pointed to the appropriateness of reviewing the signaling, noting that the line has the ERTMS systems of level 1 and level 2, although the latter is not in service. "It will be necessary to carry out a detailed analysis of how each of the infrastructure elements is in its current state," he concluded.