España es presentada por algunos como un ejemplo en Europa de los beneficios de la apertura del transporte ferroviario de pasajeros. Sin embargo, el nuevo ministro socialista de Transportes, Óscar Puente, dijo recientemente en el Congreso de los Diputados que este modelo de liberalización - en el que solo compiten entre sí las compañias estatales - tiene "efectos perjudiciales" ya que sus pérdidas "tendrán el colchón del Estado para cubrirlas".

Spain is portrayed by some as an example of the benefits of passenger rail opening in Europe. However, Spain's new centre-left Transport Minister Óscar Puente recently said in parliament that this liberalisation model - in which only state incumbents compete with each other - has “damaging effects” because their losses will "have the cushion of the state to cover them”.

The EU Commission last week accepted the Spanish state-owned passenger rail incumbent Renfe's commitments to a fairer, more transparent market - a step that ALLRAIL welcomes.These commitments, now legally binding, constitute a positive step following the DB precedent last year in Germany and can lead to enhanced competition in the European rail ticketing market, allowing independent ticket vendors more chance to compete with the in-house ticket vendor of market-dominant Renfe.

ALLRAIL's Secretary General Nick Brooks took part in the discussion panel on the future outlook for European rail infrastructure (and the inclusion of market opening within it) at the Rail Live conference in Madrid, Spain.

• Yesterday, the EU Commission decided to refer Spain to the European Court of Justice for failing to correctly transpose Directive 2012/34/EU establishing a Single European Railway Area (SERA).
• Commercial success in Spain is being achieved, but at the expense of French and Italian taxpayers and travellers in those countries. We believe that ADIF created a “Spanish model” that contradicts the SERA, especially on State Aid rules. This must be reviewed and, if necessary, replaced.