The week of May 18th looks key for the budgets and, by extension, for the legislature in Catalonia. The Govern and Esquerra Republicana are shaping the final aspects of what will be the first accounts to be unveiled since 2023. Monday will be a key day: it will start with the seal of the pact to develop the orbital railway line and, at 5:30 p.m., the republicans will convene their national council – the highest body between congresses – to assess whether they give the final yes to the budget project.
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The orbital line was first put on the table in 2004 with Joaquim Nadal at the head of the Ministry of Territorial Policy. The line plans to connect the cities of the second metropolitan ring – from Vilanova i la Geltrú to Mataró – without passing through Barcelona, which represents a “paradigm shift in mobility” for ERC, leaving aside the classic radial scheme.
It does not mean starting from scratch, since in 2010 the urban master plan was approved with the establishment of land reserves to carry out the works. Awaiting the exact details to be specified on Monday, Esquerra’s proposal is that the State invest a total of 5.2 billion (of which 4.8 billion would be for infrastructure works and the remaining 400 million for rolling stock) and that the project be carried out in five phases, with the estimate that it will be fully operational by 2040. This has been discussed with the Ministries of Finance and Transport, which would have given the green light, and it would have to be confirmed through the holding of a bilateral meeting that some consulted sources place at the end of next week.
This line will be about 120 kilometers long. From ERC they argue that the suggested deadlines are “realistic” because, of new construction, it will be 68. The network would have 39 stations, of which 18 will have to be created. The rest is already done. It is the plan they presented yesterday afternoon in a meeting with their elected officials.
Sources from ERC propose five phases for its development, although the prioritization and order of each of them is not yet defined. The republicans believe that it could start with the reinforcement of the R8, with the construction of three interchanges in Rubí, Sant Cugat, and Riu Sec, to begin connecting nodes. In fact, these works already have a budget of 135 million. Subsequently, the route from Santa Perpètua de Mogoda to Sabadell would be made (665 million); the connection from Mataró to Granollers (1.45 billion); completing the Terrassa-Martorell axis (1.15 billion) and the last would be the closure of the orbital, linking Vilafranca and Vilanova i la Geltrú (1.4 billion).
Regarding the disbursement of resources, the State would assume full responsibility because it is the owner of the infrastructure. Given that it can be carried out over several years, the republican formation sees it as feasible. In addition, part of it may be financed by the European Investment Bank.
The agreement for the orbital railway line – which will not have a specific item in the Generalitat’s accounts – is one of the cards that brings the budget pact in Catalonia closer, which, if nothing goes wrong, will arrive next week, as La Vanguardia explained. Also the mercantile company or a reinforcement of competences in an area in which the State has exclusive governance.
A different matter from these issues is the financing model agreed upon in January. Its processing is halted pending the convening of the Fiscal and Financial Policy Council to validate the legislative modifications that will go to Congress, and because the voting intention of Junts is uncertain, which leaves the future of the proposal up in the air. What does gain certainty is that Catalonia is approaching its first budgets since 2023.
