The Minister of Mobility, Paloma Martín, has announced that the Community of Madrid will negotiate with the central government the transfer of railway powers following the Rodalíes model in Catalonia. The idea is for the region to directly manage services such as Cercanías to adapt them to local needs and improve service efficiency.
A legacy system with room for technical optimization 🚆
The Catalan model is based on a comprehensive transfer of infrastructure, rolling stock, and personnel, with agreed-upon funding. For Madrid, this would mean taking control over schedules, frequencies, and line maintenance. Technically, local management would allow synchronizing trains with the metro and bus network, reducing waiting times and improving interoperability between transport systems.
The risk of Rodalíes becoming Rodalíos 😅
The proposal sounds good, but anyone who has seen the Sol construction works or the delays on Metro Line 3 knows that managing trains in Madrid can be like trying to park on Gran Vía on a Saturday afternoon. If the model works, great; if not, we will have the Community arguing with Adif over who pays for the square wheels on the trains.