He Popular Group has requested the appearance of president of Renfe, Isaiah Tables, in the Transport Commission of the Congress of Deputies to “report on the present and future situation of the rail services it provides in Galicia”.
The request was registered last Friday, two days after the Renfe decision not to put its ‘hotel train’ that connected A Coruña with Barcelona and Madrid back into circulation, once rail traffic resumed after the state of alarm.
The Platform for the Defense of the Train, against the measure
The Platform for the defense of the train criticizes the definitive suppression ofl train hotel. She points out that after this elimination there is only a daily connection with Catalonia from Galicia. It is 12 hours of travel during the daytime and that in normal situation. Now there is no possibility of going by train to Barcelona in this crisis.
The entity advocates improve the infrastructure of the road network in a climate change scenario as an alternative to airplanes, with a much higher energy consumption and environmental impact.
Consider important strengthen the commuter network in front of the AVE, a radio service that does not structure the territory. It warns that the European Union is promoting hotel trains and the railroad as a transport alternative.
The Xunta demands the Government to reestablish the Galicia hotel train services with Madrid and Barcelona
The Xunta has asked the central government in writing to restore hotel train services to connect Galicia with Madrid and Barcelona.
Specifically, the general director of Mobilidade, Ignacio Maestro, has sent a letter to the institutional representative of Renfe in Galicia regretting the decision of the operator, which rules out immediately resuming the rail connections at night between the Galician Community and Madrid and Barcelona , once traffic and services are restored with the lifting of the alarm state.
Through a statement, the Xunta stated that “it has been denouncing for months the progressive dismantling of the railway services operating in Galicia” and has warned that “The situation generated by COVID-19 cannot be an excuse to reduce train transport services to Galicians“.
The Galician Government has indicated that “this is not a new situation”, but rather that “since last autumn incidents and continuous complaints from users about the services on these lines have been repeated”.
In his letter, the general director has lamented “the new discrimination of the central government against Galicians” that would mean the suspension of rail connections at night with Madrid and Barcelona and has asked Renfe “specific information on its plans for the railway services provided in the Community “.
The BNG takes the matter to Congress
The BNG has presented in Congress a non-law proposal that demands that the Ministry of Transport rectify the Renfe announcement that comes after years of service decline, with the elimination of up to 60% of the seats a few years ago.
At the moment six daily services are maintained throughout Galicia with Madrid, one of them from A Coruña or Ferrol, which passes through the city. Ticket sales are fifty percent to maintain safety distances.
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