The Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, acknowledged in the Spanish Senate that the railway system faces a structural investment deficit in maintenance, although he made it clear that the budgetary margin to reverse this situation is limited. 'They say we move little on maintenance because it does not yield political returns,' he stated, but added that when the government presents concrete plans and quantifies the measures, 'no one asks that the allocations for maintenance be increased.' However, he stressed that the debate cannot avoid a deep discussion about budgetary priorities. According to Puente, 'it is not realistic' to demand multi-billion investments in new infrastructures and, at the same time, call for an intensification of maintenance without defining where the funds will come from. During his parliamentary appearance, the official admitted that his department 'invests a lot, but not enough,' and proposed that any substantial improvement requires giving up in other areas of public spending. When referring specifically to the Rodalies service, one of the most questioned due to repeated failures and infrastructure problems in Catalonia, Puente maintained that maintenance requires 'more resources and a different approach'.
