The Minister of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, José Luis Ábalos, has announced that the Ministry already has medicalized trains to transport COVID 19 patients between communities if necessary.
These trains, which have a capacity for 24 patients, have the peculiarity of being hybrids, which allow maximum versatility to circulate through practically all of our railway network. Both on the AVE and conventional railroad tracks, by electric or diesel traction.
Ábalos has assured that "the adaptation process already has the approval of the State Agency for Railway Safety, and yesterday, with the aim of validating their suitability, the Ministry of Health carried out a simulation at the Atocha station, together with technicians from Summa 112, Renfe and Adif ".
Along with the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, in a press conference from Moncloa, Ábalos was satisfied with the mobility data in Spain, with reductions of 98% in rail, 83% in road trips and other data provided by large technology companies "that reflect that we are one of the most disciplined countries in the world, having reduced our movements to a minimum and limiting them to what is strictly necessary."
Public aid from the ministry
The minister has expressed the need to continue helping the transport sector and has reported the delivery, today, of 204,936 masks to 26,708 carriers, making a total, since the Monday that the distribution began, of 412,965 masks to 44,217 carriers. Tonight, two flights leave for China to get more material and continue distributing it among the sector.
As a continuation of public aid from the Ministry, the head of the Department has announced that Adif extends the suspension of rent collection to all leased premises and properties not located in passenger stations and also to rented properties and land whose activity has been significantly reduced. In this way, what was announced a few weeks ago about the suspension of the collection of the rents of the premises of the stations that have had to close, as a consequence of the measures to combat the pandemic, is extended.
At the international level, Ábalos stressed that "we have requested the urgent holding of a videoconference of Transport Ministers of the European Union, in which we can coordinate the measures to be taken and discuss the next steps to be taken, in order to have a reaction European and solidarity ".
In addition, measures have been requested to financially support the transport sector, including modifying the current state aid regime and initiatives to mobilize investments.
Additionally, "we have asked that the European Union adopt immediate solutions to guarantee the continuity of the transport of goods. And in this sense, we welcomed very positively the initiative of green lanes to facilitate the transit of goods between the States," expressed the Minister.
Unity against the pandemic
Finally, Ábalos has referred to the possibility that "all the political forces are capable of reaching a great State pact to face this crisis from unity and collaboration" because "it is not for the benefit of the Government, it is not for the benefit of some political party, it is for the benefit of the entire country, in the general interest. "
Regarding the transparency of the information provided by the Government, Ábalos has indicated that "we are in permanent contact with the autonomous communities to supply all kinds of data: health, mobility, economic. We are holding a conference of Presidents every weekends. And we have been holding two daily press conferences since the declaration of the state of alarm, modifying the questioning procedure by the media to adjust them to their demands. "
