Sánchez's government targets a Renfe train driver for reporting incidents

Spain is experiencing an unusual situation in railway matters, after two fatal accidents (in Adamuz and Gélida) in recent days.

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The railway union SEMAF calls a general strike

Following the accident in Gélida last night, two train drivers have now died in such accidents. As a result, today the Spanish Union of Train Drivers and Railway Assistants (SEMAF) has called a general strike, denouncing: "we consider this situation of constant deterioration of the railway unacceptable. Various measures must be urgently implemented on our network to guarantee the safety of professionals and users."

In August, SEMAF asked to reduce the speed on some lines due to their deterioration

In the last few hours, and following reports from several train drivers, ADIF has established temporary speed limits on several lines, specifically on the Madrid-Barcelona AVE line (where a reduction was implemented yesterday, canceled this morning, only to be reinstated shortly afterward) and also on the Madrid-Valencia AVE line. This situation is causing confusion among users, but it is not new. In August, SEMAF requested a reduction in speed to 250 kilometers per hour on several lines due to track deterioration, specifically on the lines connecting Madrid with Seville, Malaga, Valencia, and Barcelona, ​​as the trains were "bouncing a lot" and "vibrating a lot." ADIF ignored this request.

The government targets a Renfe train driver for reporting incidents

Installed in a purely defensive position to prevent public attention from focusing on the government-controlled infrastructure, today the Ministry of Transport, under the leadership of the socialist Óscar Puente, has targeted a train driver for reporting incidents. The ministry has leaked data to a pro-government newspaper, El País, indicating that the same Renfe train driver had reported 21 of the 25 incidents on Tuesday and all of those reported today. El País cites "Transports sources" as the source of the information, meaning the Ministry of Puente. The pro-government newspaper also reveals: "The aforementioned Renfe train driver is again traveling the Madrid-Zaragoza route, although his destination this Wednesday is Pamplona."

El País also quotes this statement from the same anonymous sources within the Ministry: "Many train drivers are not reporting incidents, but they are driving below the permitted speed." Obviously, after the deaths of two colleagues, many railway professionals will be afraid. Now, this fear about the conditions under which they must work is compounded by a government attempt to intimidate those who report incidents, by leaking information about a train driver to a friendly media outlet.

A government that defended a prosecutor who committed the crime of revealing secrets

Unfortunately, this practice is not new. Just a few months ago, the government defended Attorney General Álvaro García Ortiz after he was convicted of revealing secrets, a defense that resulted in attacks from the executive branch against the Supreme Court. When a government is capable of such extremes, we can expect anything, such as the leaking of data from a train driver who reports incidents in a clear attempt to intimidate him and his colleagues.

Harsh criticism on social media

This afternoon, the publication of that news on El País's Twitter account has been met with numerous criticisms, with comments like these: "The Tataglia family threatening train drivers"; "The mafia has just targeted a good man. May God protect him"; "That train driver should be given a bodyguard"; "His name, surname, face, address, and children's school will soon be leaked. Messing with the PSOE organization has consequences." These are the consequences of years of intimidation tactics against journalists, judges, and political rivals by a government with increasingly authoritarian tendencies that refuses to be contradicted, as Minister Óscar Puente himself demonstrates by massively blocking users on Twitter, journalists including, for the mere fact of disagreeing with him.

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Photo: Carlos Teixidor Cadenas. Two AVE (Spanish High Speed) trains of the Renfe Series 112 at Madrid Puerta de Atocha station on November 25, 2013.