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The new joint company to manage Rodalies in Catalonia is born
Salvador Illa and Óscar Puente present the new Rodalies operator, which will share control between Renfe and the Generalitat from Estació de França.
This Monday, the President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, and the Minister for Transport and Mobility, Óscar Puente, officially presented Rodalies de Catalunya, SME SA. It is the new joint company that will take over the management of Rodalies services and regional trains, arising from the agreement reached with ERC.
The company starts with a 50.1% holding by Renfe and 49.9% by the Generalitat, although its statutes allow the Catalan government to increase its share in the future. During the event, the names of the members of the Board of Directors were announced; it will be chaired by the Minister for Territory, Sílvia Paneque, and will have its own general management.
Rodalies de Catalunya, SME SA, begins operations with capital of two million euros and a distinctly technical focus. Its first tasks include obtaining the railway licence, taking over the management of resources from Renfe Viajeros, and launching the safety management and certification system.
In parallel, the opening of the new Rodalies control centre is planned, in collaboration with Adif and Renfe, located at Estació de França. This centre, which could be operational before the summer, will give priority to the full doubling of the R3 line and to improving coordination between the companies involved in order to optimise the service.