Organizations from all over the State mobilize together in defense of the railroad

Organizations from all over the State mobilize together in defense of the railroad

• Dozens of organisations, including Ecologistas en Acción, are organising the Week of Struggle for the Train, with numerous events and demonstrations planned.
• In a context of deep energy and climate crisis, the Week of Struggle for Trains calls on the Government to implement more ambitious policies to promote rail transport of passengers and goods.
• The participating environmental, social, political and trade union organisations recall the need to support the train, the most suitable means of transport to connect the territories and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from our mobility system.

Under the slogan “For a train that connects the territory and cools the planet”, the State Coordinator for the Public, Social and Sustainable Train, together with the Climate Alliance, are calling for the second consecutive year the Week of Struggle for the Train. Within the framework of this initiative, which will take place from November 21 to 27, 2022, more than 30 social mobilization events will be organized, with the participation of more than 80 organizations.

Through the Week of Struggle for the Train, the participating organizations want to denounce that the policies of the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (MITMA) are insufficient to achieve the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions that we need in the current context of energy and climate crisis.

Rallies, workshops, talks and demonstrations will be some of the activities planned in the dozens of municipalities involved in this second Week of Struggle for Trains, which began last year to coincide with the European Year of Railways. With a common image and message, the different local and regional platforms, made up of very diverse types of entities, will demand priority rail services for commuter trains and affordable regional trains for the vast majority of the population.

According to José Luis Ordóñez, spokesman for the State Coordinator for Public, Social and Sustainable Trains, “these services, used by 95% of railway users, have been suffering for years from a dramatic reduction in frequencies, routes, and quality.” On the other hand, Ordóñez denounces how “smaller population centres have seen how trains have stopped stopping at their stations, forcing their inhabitants to use private vehicles to get around.”

Given that transport is responsible for almost 30% of greenhouse gas emissions in Spain, the Week of Fight for Trains also pays special attention to the climate emergency. For Carlos Martínez, representative of Alianza por el Clima, “the conventional electric railway is the ideal means of transport to reduce emissions and mitigate climate change. For the organisations, it is incomprehensible that the Government does not act urgently to promote rail transport, both for goods and passengers, to meet the commitments made to reduce emissions.”

The Week of Struggle for the Train is part of the Train and Climate campaign, led by Ecologists in Action. An initiative aimed at creating a space for convergence between diverse groups in favour of greater territorial integration and the reduction of emissions by promoting conventional railways.

Pablo Muñoz, Transport Coordinator for Ecologistas en Acción, concludes: “Whether in Granada, Plasencia, A Coruña or Valencia, various organisations have joined together during the Week of Struggle for Trains to demand public and sustainable railways as a key means of transporting people and goods. The train must be our best ally in building a new model of mobility and territorial development.”