PM Sánchez says Spanish railway system is 'one of the best in the world'

The Spanish PM, Pedro Sánchez, denied on Wednesday that the railway system is "dysfunctional" and stressed that it is "one of the best in the world."

He made the remarks during an appearance in Congress to discuss recent accidents in Adamuz and Gelida.

Regarding the high-speed railway accident in Adamuz, where more than 40 people died, he emphasized that "the necessary measures" will be put in place to ensure that a similar tragedy does not happen again. 

"In the meantime, we can inform citizens and support the work of the technicians. What we cannot do is speculate, spread misinformation, or exploit the tragedy to stir tensions."

Despite his defense of the railway system, the Spanish PM- acknowledged that the current network "is not perfect" and has "significant shortcomings" in certain areas, while also noting that the system stretches over 15,000 kilometers and is the fifth most extensive in Europe. 

He added that the current problems are to blame on the "investment deficit" during previous conservative People's Party (PP) administrations and that his government is now working to correct this.

Political parties respond

Sánchez's comments on the recent railway accidents sparked a strong response from political parties across the spectrum.

The leader of the far-right Vox, Santiago Abascal, launched harsh attacks, saying that "the railway accident in Adamuz was a crime," blaming poor maintenance under the Socialist government led by Sánchez. 

The Catalan left-wing, pro-independence party, ERC accused Transport Minister Óscar Puente of "continuing a classist railway model that favors AVE high-speed trains (Spain's long-distance network) over Rodalies commuter lines."

They were joined by the pro-independence, center-right party Junts, which demanded a "full transfer" of the Rodalies commuter service to the Catalan-owned Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC). 

Meanwhile, right-wing PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo accused Sánchez of playing "Russian roulette" with railway passenger safety, further claiming that the prime minister acted "disrespectfully" toward the victims by failing to apologize.

In response to the criticism Sánchez said the Ministry of Transport "is allocating half of its total investment to Rodalies in Catalonia" and highlighted billions of euros committed under current and upcoming investment plans, including funding for new trains.