Video: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DfPkYfUIOxW/">@adacolau, @sumar_oficial, @somcomuns, @izquierda_unida, @elfrenteamplio / IG</a>
Ada Colau, the Frente Amplio candidate for prime minister, has proposed a State pact on Spain’s railway system that would reunify Renfe and Adif into a single public operator to lead rail infrastructure. She made the call on Monday 2nd November 2026, following a meeting in Barcelona with representatives from major state railway unions, including CC.OO., UGT, CGT, SF and SCF.
Colau, who leads the Comuns-Frente Amplio list in Barcelona for the 29 November general election, said citizens are demanding solutions beyond political accountability for the recent train accident in Urda, Toledo. “The public is calling for answers,” she said in media statements, stressing that restoring confidence in rail transport requires cooperation across party lines.
It is time for all political parties to start working and cooperating with each other to regain people's trust in rail transport.
Call for unity and public leadership
The former mayor of Barcelona argued that the time has come for the maximum number of political forces to commit to a State pact, which should begin negotiations the day after the 29 November elections. She emphasized that trains are an essential public service and must be safe, sustainable and accessible.
Colau criticised current fragmentation in rail management, stating it makes no sense for an essential service like rail to have two separate operators, Renfe, the national operator, and Adif, the infrastructure manager, with potentially differing protocols, especially in emergencies.
Frente Amplio also proposes a comprehensive audit of the entire railway network to assess the real condition of infrastructure, reverse the outsourcing of core maintenance tasks, and increase staffing in line with rising service demand. Personnel should receive ongoing training, the coalition insists.
Financing and policy priorities
Colau called for increased public investment in railways and challenged the PSOE’s proposal to allocate €13 billion to airport expansion. “Right now what we need is not to expand airports, we do not need more tourists in our country, all the cities are saturated,” she said, advocating instead for strengthening rail as a sustainable alternative.
The reunification of Renfe and Adif, separated under EU liberalisation rules in the 2000s, would mark a significant shift in national transport policy, restoring full public control over both operations and infrastructure.
Sources: El Confidencial, Newsroom Infobae (EFE), Europa Press.
