A metro enters the station of line 6 of the Moncloa interchange, in Madrid (Spain).Jesús Hellín / Europa Press (Europa Press)
Metro de Madrid paid two fines totaling 16,340 euros for failing to comply with its commitments regarding train frequency and space for passengers on lines 8 and 10b in 2020 and 2021, according to information obtained by EL PAÍS in application of the transparency law.
These sanctions derive from the program contract signed by the company with the regional transport consortium, which requires compliance with a minimum of 93% (for the entire network) and 90% (for each of the lines) of the commitments. waiting time for travelers and degree of occupancy of the trains.
As the parameters that decide the sanctions are measured month by month, and include the requirement that non-compliance be repeated in three consecutive months, there are days in which the trains can take much longer than stipulated, and days in which the wagons They can arrive crowded, without a fine.
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“The fundamental reason for the non-compliance with the times on lines 8 and 10B were the temporary speed limitations that were imposed on the trains that circulated on these lines as a result of the maintenance and renovation work that had to be carried out on the tracks” explains a company spokesperson.
“These maintenance works, necessary for the proper functioning of the network, are carried out at night to avoid the suspension of service,” adds the representative of the public company;
"but they imply that, during train circulation hours, speed has to be reduced in some sections, which in some cases can cause longer than usual waiting times."
And he adds: "Specifically, the works that were carried out were, on line 8, the renovation of a track apparatus located at station T4, and on line 10B, the renewal of supports of the track superstructure."
For example, this last work caused the line to be unusable for four hours on December 1, 2021, and between the Plaza de España and Colonia Jardín stations, due to lack of electricity supply, which caused protests from users, to those for which no alternative was offered.
How are the penalties faced by Metro arbitrated?
The Community of Madrid, through the regional transport consortium, will finance the Metro with 572.8 million euros in 2024.
In exchange for that money, and in application of the program contract that unites both parties, compliance with punctuality and occupancy criteria is required that guarantee the quality of the service.
In the morning rush hour, these commitments take the form of maximum waits of 4m30s on the central lines (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10), and 6 minutes on the peripheral lines. (7b, 10b, L12), in addition to four travelers per square meter.
For the afternoon rush hour, the program contract sets a maximum wait of 5 minutes for central lines, and 7m30s for peripheral lines, in addition to a maximum of 3.5 passengers per square meter.
The maximum applicable penalty corresponds to 3% of the income accrued based on the billing of the application period.
In any case, the agreement includes extenuating causes, such as non-compliance occurring due to suspensions or stoppages of equipment and facilities, due to causes beyond Metro's control, due to strikes, due to actions to improve the network, or for security reasons.
The company explains that the non-compliance that has caused the sanctions “just exceeds one percentage point on average.”
And he details: “In 2021, the deviation of line 8 was 1.3%, that of line 10b, 2.1%.
In 2022, line 8 will deviate by 0.6% and line 10b, by 1%.”
As the parameters that decide the sanctions are measured month by month, and include the requirement that non-compliance be repeated in three consecutive months, there are days in which the trains can take much longer than stipulated, and days in which the wagons They can arrive crowded, without a fine.
In fact, in 2023, Metro de Madrid had 24,206 incidents that involved delays, of which almost 90% were caused by a lack of drivers, according to the daily operations tables to which EL PAÍS has had access.
There were 59 delays daily due to lack of drivers.
The incidents are concentrated in the early stages of the morning rush hour (7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.) and midday rush hour (2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.).
The worst time of the week is two in the afternoon on Fridays.
These days the afternoon rush hour is brought forward because many people leave work early, the service tables foresee a reinforcement with more trains, but there is no staff to drive them, according to an employee, who is familiar with the train drivers' shifts.
Incidents also accumulate during the subway openings on weekends at six in the morning, possibly due to staff releases.
The same happens in the period of the year in which the train drivers' vacations are concentrated, August, another moment of tension for the system, but not the only one of the year: it is also the moment in which Madrid receives the most visitors, the Christmas.
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