Plan to redirect €1.333bn to Rodalies

Ernest Urtasun, Minister of Culture and number two on the Comuns-Front Ampli list for Barcelona in the upcoming general election, announced on Friday 6th November that his party will propose scrapping the plan to upgrade the Madrid-Barcelona high-speed rail line to 350 km/h. Instead, the €1.333 billion already committed to the project would be redirected to improve Catalonia’s Rodalies commuter network. Speaking at a press breakfast hosted by Nueva Economía Forum in Barcelona, Urtasun questioned the priority of reducing journey times by a few minutes between capitals while most Catalans face chronic delays on local services. "What good is it to us to arrive a few minutes earlier in Madrid, while the majority of Catalans continue to lose hours and hours waiting for Rodalies?" he said.

Call to reverse rail liberalisation

Urtasun called for a fundamental rethink of Spain’s rail model, including reversing the separation of infrastructure manager Adif and operator Renfe, and ending the outsourcing of maintenance. He described the current high-speed expansion as prioritising "grand projects to impress" rather than infrastructure that functions reliably for citizens. He reaffirmed three commitments for Rodalies: accelerating the transfer of management to the Generalitat, halting any privatisation of the service, and redesigning the proposed R-Aeroport line so it does not operate separately from the rest of the network. "A shuttle for tourists cannot take priority over people's trains," Urtasun stated.

Rejects airport expansion and defends language rights

The minister also reiterated opposition to the expansion of Barcelona-El Prat Airport, arguing investment priorities must shift toward public transport. He warned that a potential PP-Vox government would seek to restrict the use of Catalan in national institutions, citing actions in the Valencian Community and Balearic Islands. He directly challenged PP candidate Xavier García Albiol: "He who says he wants to go and defend Catalans and Catalonia, is the first measure he plans to take to eliminate the use of Catalan in Congress?" On housing, Urtasun backed the general strike scheduled for Wednesday 11th November and urged Junts to support housing decrees due to be voted on by the Permanent Deputation of Congress in November.

We have been in the State Government for practically eight years now, and therefore, we are prepared to manage any area of management that corresponds.

When asked whether he would consider leading the Ministry of Transport, Urtasun said he would not mind, adding that such a role would "suit" Spain if held by the Broad Front.

Sources: THE OBJECTIVE @TheObjective_es, El Periódico, Newsroom Infobae (EFE).