Madrid and Generalitat Agree R1 Rail Steps, €75 Million for Roads

Spain’s central government and the Generalitat (the Catalan government) agreed to move forward on handing the R1 line of Rodalies (Catalonia’s commuter rail network) to Catalan control, and to spend 75 million euros resurfacing stretches of the AP-7 and A-2 motorways during 2027, according to El Periódico. The two administrations met at the Palau de la Generalitat in Barcelona a few hours before the campaign for the 29-N vote began.

The package also gives Catalonia a formal seat in planning for its airports and closes a transfer of more than a billion euros to cover rail services from 2025 to 2028.

R1 handover and the orbital rail line

The meeting of the bilateral commission was the fourth since Salvador Illa became president of the Generalitat. Albert Dalmau, the Catalan conseller de la Presidència (minister of the presidency), and Miryam Álvarez, Spain’s secretary of state for territorial policy, agreed to advance the transfer of the R1 between La Sagrera and Maçanet-Massanes. For now that means work on the inventory and the safety certificates. El Periódico reports that further steps are still required at the Rodalies board of directors.

The two sides also agreed to push the orbital rail line project by creating a working group that will follow the plan technically and institutionally. The protocol for the project is due to be drafted in the first quarter of next year.

Money for rail services and motorway repairs

The Comisión de Asuntos Económicos y Fiscales (economic and fiscal affairs commission) met remotely the same day. It was chaired by Alícia Romero, the Catalan economy conseller, and Jesús Gascón, Spain’s secretary of state for finance. It closed the transfer of more than a billion euros to cover rail services for the period 2025 to 2028.

On the roads, the governments agreed to widen the planned work on the AP-7 and A-2 to include repaving, with the aim of improving safety, functionality and connectivity. The 75 million euros will go to sections affecting Barcelona, Tarragona and Girona, and the works are to be carried out in 2027.

A joint body for Catalan airports

Dalmau and the central government also agreed that Catalonia will take part in planning, investment and connectivity for the airports in Catalonia. The vehicle is a bilateral airport body with four members from each administration, a presidency that rotates every year, and decisions taken by consensus.

The ministry will have to inform the Catalan government of its airport plans before approving them. Catalonia can also take part in drafting the Documento de Regulación Aeroportuaria, known as DORA, which sets out the investment needs of Spain’s airports. A separate document on airport strategy for Catalonia will be prepared in parallel and may propose new national and international routes for passengers and freight.

Language and European affairs

Two further bodies moved ahead. A working group on using Catalan in dealings between the central administration and citizens was set up after a meeting between Francesc Xavier Vila, the Catalan conseller for language policy, and Álvarez. They agreed to widen the Catalan-language training on offer and to make Catalan available in the state’s digital resources. The Subcommission on European Affairs and External Action of the Generalitat-State Bilateral Commission was also activated, as agreed in May. Its aim is a larger Catalan role in European Union matters and monitoring of Spanish foreign action that touches Catalan powers.

What this means for Rodalies and road users

Nothing in the agreement completes the R1 transfer. The inventory and safety certificates come first, and the Rodalies board still has to act. The road repaving is scheduled for 2027 and the orbital line protocol for the first three months of next year.

The same El Periódico coverage reports that Renfe, the state rail operator, will investigate at least 73 drivers for failing to meet minimum services during the Rodalies strike. For how the network’s lines, tickets and refunds work, see our guide to Rodalies trains.

Source: El Periódico