The Council of Ministers agreed increase Renfe’s budget by 525.4 million euros between 2025 and 2029 to cover public service obligations, which include Cercanías services, conventional medium distance, high speed medium distance (Avant) and meter gauge services, which are the responsibility of the General Administration of the State.
With this increase, the Renfe’s total budget for the next five years amounts to 4,151.5 million euros. Thus, Renfe will have sufficient resources to cover, among other things, the incorporation of new trains, the increase in operating costs, fare integration in Asturias, Cantabria and Bilbao and the improvement of certain rail services.
In this way, budgetary coverage is provided for the new Addendum 6, which modifies the company’s program contract with the State to incorporate anticipated spending needs. Specifically, The contribution planned for 2025 is increased by 110 million eurosat 158 million euros for 2026, 162.3 million euros for 2027 and just over 47 million euros for contributions planned for 2028 and 2029 respectively.
By exceeding the limits of commitments allocated to future years and the number of annual payments covered by the general finance law, the Council of Ministers authorized raise the pension ceiling from 2025 to 2028 and authorize the 2029 pension. Thus, for the years 2025, 2026 and 2027, a maximum commitment of 1.104 million is envisaged for each year, which drops to 689.8 million in 2028 and 149.6 million in 2029.
The Government approved the agreement that modifies the limits and number of annuities to acquire expenditure commitments charged to future years, to allow the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility to compensate Renfe Viajeros for public service obligations in progress. The General Directorate of Road and Rail Transport, dependent on the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, was the management center which requested this authorization to modify the limits and the number of annual payments.
On December 18, 2018, the so-called Ministry of Development signed the contract with Renfe Viajeros for the provision of public passenger rail transport services subject to public service obligations during the period 2018-2027by which an expenditure was authorized for the said application of 9,693.7 million eurosin accordance with the distribution of annuities included in this document. This contract was then modified by five amendments over five years.
The aforementioned contract establishes the conditions under which Renfe Viajeros must provide rail transport services declared a public service obligation, as well as the maximum economic compensation to which said company will be entitled during each of the years of validity of this contract, established in the contract. twelfth clause the procedure for its liquidation and payment.
Furthermore, it is indicated that “in all cases, a review of the contract is established during the sixth year of its validity, in order to verify both the adequate estimation of the variables and the assumptions reflected in it, as well as as the evolution of non-conformities. -the costs attributable to Renfe Viajeros, and other factors independent of the management of Renfe, which affect the compensation, in order to correct the imbalances which may have arisen”. Consequently, Addendum 6 was proposed in order to update said contract and include the modifications necessary for its execution.
Among them, the updating of the evolution of variables and hypotheses reflected in the contract, the acquisition of new rolling stock and the inclusion, with regard to train maintenance workshops, of the economic impact stand out. of the application of Communication 2. 2022 of the CNMC on the orientation towards the costs of prices in railway service facilities, integrating into the contract the new multi-year agreements between Renfe Viajeros and Renfe Engineering and Maintenance for its use.
Added to this is the tariff integration of the conventional and metric gauge pendulum poles of Asturias, Cantabria and Bilbao, approved by the Delegated Commission of the Government for the Economy in March 2023, which implies the homogenization of the marketing of the transport tickets and updating of services. to provide.
The Monitoring Commission mentioned in the contract was informed at the meeting held on October 23, 2024, and the Government Delegated Commission for Economic Affairs reported on this Addendum 6 on October 28, 2024.
