Politics · Spain · 6 hrs ago
Spanish rail spending has barely risen as train use has surged
After the Adamuz rail tragedy, Spain’s government defended its record on rail infrastructure spending.
A review of the figures found that spending on investment and maintenance rose only slightly between 2012–2017 and 2018–2025, while use of the rail network surged.
The government’s figures showed spending had returned to about €5.6 billion, similar to 2011, but those figures were not adjusted for rising costs.
Once construction costs are taken into account, spending in 2025 was 20% lower than in 2011.
Over that period, 1,180 kilometres of railway opened, but maintenance spending in real terms was only 5% higher than in 2011.
The figures also show that the sharpest investment drop came in 2016, during a political deadlock that led to budgets being extended.
A report from El Mundo says Spanish rail investment and maintenance rose only marginally between 2012–2017 and 2018–2025, while use of the network grew sharply.
After adjusting for construction costs, spending in 2025 was 20% below its 2011 level, the article says.
The article says the real increase in spending came only from 2023, after Renfe, Iryo and Ouigo were already using the tracks.
La Moncloa had argued that railway spending under Pedro Sánchez had recovered to about €5.6 billion, the reported level for 2011.
- Who
- The Spanish government and railway infrastructure manager Adif are discussed. The article compares spending under governments led by Mariano Rajoy and Pedro Sánchez.
- What
- El Mundo says real railway investment and maintenance spending has fallen since 2011, despite a sharp rise in rail use.
- When
- The article compares spending from 2011 to 2025 and periods from 2012–2017 and 2018–2025.
- Where
- Spain.
- Why
- The article says construction costs rose by more than 31% between 2011 and 2025, so nominal spending figures overstate the change in real spending.
La Moncloa
El Mundo
Spending trend
La Moncloa
The government’s document said railway spending had returned to about €5.6 billion, the 2011 level.
El Mundo
El Mundo says that after adjusting for construction costs, spending in 2025 was 20% below 2011.
Responsibility for the shortfall
La Moncloa
The government document indirectly blamed earlier Popular Party governments for reducing investment.
El Mundo
El Mundo says the real spending increase was marginal across the compared periods and that the deepest investment slump came in 2016 amid political gridlock.
Railway spending was about €5.6 billion, according to the government document cited by El Mundo.
Spending reached a low of €1.75 billion, according to the document; El Mundo links the investment slump to political gridlock.
The recovery-period average for investment and maintenance was only marginally higher than in 2012–2017, according to El Mundo.
El Mundo says the real increase in spending began only from this year.
Spending was 20% below its 2011 level in constant euros, according to El Mundo.
- 2011 spending
- About €5.6 billion
- 2016 spending
- €1.75 billion
- Construction-cost rise
- More than 31% from 2011 to 2025
- Real spending change
- Down 20% from 2011 to 2025
- Railway opened
- 1,180 kilometres from 2011 to 2025
1 source
What people are saying
no means no