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The president of Trenes Argentinos had warned about the “operational safety” of the service days before the accident in Palermo - Infobae
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El presidente de Trenes Argentinos había advertido sobre la “seguridad operacional” del servicio días antes del accidente en Palermo
Adrián Luque le había enviado una nota a sus superiores en base un informe interno según el cual “se estaba operando al límite de lo prudente”. Desde la Secretaría de Transporte señalaron que “recibieron los trenes en estado crítico” y que Franco Mogetta “se venía ocupando” del tema, “trabajando...
www.infobae.com
May 13, 2024
Adrián Luque had sent a note to his superiors based on an internal report according to which “they were operating at the limit of what was prudent.” From the Ministry of Transportation they indicated that “they received the trains in critical condition” and that Franco Mogetta “had been taking care” of the issue, “working on the railway emergency” declared today.
By Mariel Fitz Patrick
This is what one of the trains that participated in the crash on the San Martín line looked like last Friday (Photo: Nicolás Stulberg)
A week before the train crash on the San Martín line, on Friday, May 3, the president of Sociedad Operadora Ferroviaria Sociedad del Estado (SOFSE) , Luis Adrián Luque , let his superiors know in an internal note of his concern “about " safety conditions in the provision of urban, long-distance and regional passenger rail transport services."
For this reason, he asked the president of Ferrocarriles Argentinos Sociedad del Estado (FASE) , Patricio Gilligan , with a copy to the Secretary of Transportation, Franco Mogetta , and Mauricio Miguel Álvarez Botto , of the Chief of the Cabinet of Ministers , “to manage the allocation of funds necessary to meet current and capital expenditure obligations that guarantee the normal functioning of the services provided by this Railway Operator, safeguarding the minimum operational safety standards.”
The commercial name of SOFSE, in charge of passenger trains, is Trenes Argentinos , a company at the head of which Javier Milei appointed Luque in February, a former councilor of the Frente Renovador in San Miguel, who came from the previous administration since He had previously been manager of the Legal area at SOFSE, when Massista Martín Marinucci was in charge of that state company.
The former massista leader Adrián Luque took over the management of Milei as president of Trenes Argentinos, where he already worked in Legal Affairs
In the note, Luque warned about the urgency of resources: ”Current expenses impact daily operations, while capital expenses involve contracting works, or maintenance and fine-tuning of training, which are already scheduled and Its postponement would affect quality parameters and risk mitigation in the services provided by this State Company .”
The note that Infobae accessed - and had been advanced this morning by the Enelsubte site - was accompanied by a memo signed by the General Administrative Management of SOFSE , headed by Jorge Adrián Álvarez Holmberg , which detailed "the reasons that trigger this scenario” and “the consequences of non-compliance in payment to suppliers”. The 9-page document warned that the trains were being operated “ at the limit of what is prudent ,” and asked “ to have the funds to guarantee above all things the operational safety of the passenger .”
The note that the president of Trenes Argentinos, Adrián Luque, sent on May 3 to his superiors
The memo included “the estimates of minimum Treasury transfers necessary to finance current and capital expenses,” which for April amount to $82,082,180,792 , an amount that “was notified by note to the Budget Directorate of the Undersecretary of Infrastructure Administrative Management ”, dependent on the Ministry of Economy, which implies “a required additional amount of $32,782,180,792” to the $49,300 million drawn on by that portfolio. At the exchange rate of May 3, the budget required for last month was equivalent to USD 11,160,714.
First and last page of the memo sent by SOFSE Management with the financial needs of the railway system to protect the safety of passengers
The note and the memo with the budgetary needs were submitted by Gilligan to the Legal and Administrative Secretary of the Ministry of Economy, José Ignacio García Hamilton . “In view of the above and sharing the need described above , I attach both the Note and the Memorandum as attachments to report on the situation presented and request your intervention in order to satisfy the needs raised,” wrote the president of Ferrocarriles Argentinos in a handrail that ended up in the wallet responsible for releasing the funds.
The cutout numbers
In the memo from the General Administrative Management of SOFSE, it was detailed that “ the transfers received to meet current expenses (without considering salaries) during the first quarter of 2024 represent in nominal terms 5% more than those received in the same period of 2023 and in real terms 75% less .”As Infobae reported this weekend , the main Treasury contribution program for the operation of the trains is the Financial Assistance to Companies in the Railway Sector , which had a 60% cut in the first quarter of this year compared to 2023 . according to the budget analysis carried out by the Tax Justice area of the non-governmental organization Civil Association for Equality and Justice (ACIJ). The company that had the largest cut in the first quarter of 2024 was the Railway Infrastructure Administration (ADIFSE) : 92% . While in the first quarter of 2024 it received $2,982 million, a year earlier it had received $39,162 million in the same period, at values adjusted for inflation. This is the company that deals with the maintenance, renovation, infrastructure and management of train control systems.
In their defense, sources from the Ministry of Transportation, which today functions under the orbit of the Minister of Economy Luis Caputo on whom it depends for the availability of funds , relativized the note from the president of Trenes Argentinos and indicated to this medium that Mogetta “had come warning about the debts and failures of the system that they had received, not from the last government alone, but for years,” even in statements to the media.
The Secretary of Transportation had spoken with journalist Jony Viale on Radio Rivadavia on Monday, May 6, and pointed out “the critical state” in which the trains received this management , as well as the poor infrastructure on which they circulate. “The situation is really serious. We received a system in very poor condition ,” the head of Transportation said a week ago, almost premonitory of the accident last Friday.
Franco Mogetta, Secretary of Transportation, area responsible for trains from a functional point of view, which became dependent on the Ministry of Economy in the management of Milei
Mogetta's entourage denied that it was in response to Luque's written notice, and they were suspicious about "the political moment" in which the memo with his signature and his membership in the Renewal Front was known. “He's trying to cover himself,” they said. Throughout the previous management, the Transportation area was always in charge of leaders who reported to Sergio Massa.
“The concern was there and so was the occupation. Mogetta himself had been managing the declaration of the railway emergency before the accident on Friday”, which was finally confirmed today , said those around the Secretary of Transportation. “Last Wednesday, Caputo had given the ok after the report of the National Transport Regulatory Commission (CNRT) on April 27. And on Friday, at the same time that the crash occurred, the declaration of the railway emergency was being articulated,” they added. This will allow the Secretariat to have extra funds to face contingencies such as those suffered by some lines in recent months, for example with the theft of cables or damage to infrastructure.
The train crash on the San Martín line exposed the level of deterioration of the railway system (Photo: Nicolás Stulberg)
In the memo sent by Holmberg to Luque and which he sent to his superiors, the conditions that put " the provision of the service at serious risk " were listed , since it warned about the lack of maintenance of roads and cars , fuel and electricity, and even the interruption of alcohol testing for drivers. In the request for funds, it was alleged that it was “what is essential to comply with regular economic-financial and management obligations, which arise from contracts with private and other public organizations for services, which if limited will immediately impact operational management. and administrative” of SOFSE:
• Regular maintenance of rolling stock, which is a fundamental pillar of operational safety.
• The suspension of tenders that allow the acquisition of rolling stock (essentially for the service provided by the San Martín Line)
• Normal access to fuels and lubricants that are key inputs for the operation of the formations that depend on the Roca, San Martín and Belgrano Sur Lines. To date, $1,448 million is owed to YPF.
• The provision of traction energy service for the operation of the services that depend on the Miter, Roca and Sarmiento Lines.
• The contracting of medical and health services that complement the service provided and guarantee the passenger initial health coverage.
• The provision of public and private security service in the stations and formations under our charge.
• The acquisition of basic supplies (sleepers, ballast stone) for the maintenance of roads and infrastructure.
• Failure to pay basic public services.
• The station flow collection service (referring to SUBE load collections so that users can use the different modes of transport), a situation that directly impacts the ability to adequately manage own resources.
• A considerable drop in the quality of long-distance service provision, which to date are not offering passengers adequate hygiene conditions and access to dining car services.
• The continuity of maintenance works and essential roads.
In addition, it was mentioned "non-payment to suppliers who provide occupational medicine services such as alcohol testing and prohibited substances for motorcyclists , private security service in stations and training, ambulance services," which would be discontinued from Monday, May 5 in case the debts assumed with them are not regularized.
The list of non-compliance and conditions that put the railway service at risk, according to an internal memo prepared at SOFSE
The tender that remains unannounced
The San Martín line was operating - and continues to do so - at the time of the collision with a manual signaling system , since a tender for the electrification of the San Martín line with an international loan from the IDB for USD 400 is still pending for 7 years. million s, which has not yet been awarded, despite the fact that Argentina had the money available.It had been announced in August 2017, during the administration of Mauricio Macri, for the “improvement” of that railway, with retrofitting, signaling and electrification works on the line between Retiro and Pilar. The credit had been managed by Florencio Randazzo in 2014, as recalled by those around the former Minister of the Interior, who was in charge of the Transportation area at that time. “When the Roca was finished, they released the funds for the San Martín. The IDB complied. “Argentina wasted the loan,” they noted.
Those around the current Secretary of Transportation stated that “Mogetta was working internally and seeking to allocate resources, above all, to San Martin, with the IDB project. It has been one of its axes, unlocking it and making it operational. Because while waiting for that work to be awarded, with that excuse, they did not invest in signage or the necessary maintenance.”
The total amount of this project was originally USD 522 million and a local contribution of USD 122 million was planned. However, the tender was delayed without being finalized. In the government of Alberto Fernández, an amendment was made and the presentation of offers scheduled in December 2022 was postponed to January 15, 2023. The process was delayed and, four months later, a single consortium made up of Panedile Argentina had been presented. , Siemens Mobility, Herso, Luis Carlos Zonis and Concret Nor , with an offer well above the estimated budget of $52 billion in July 2022. A year and four months later, the award has still not been finalized. Despite having international financing, it was put on standby with the brake on public works that Milei ordered upon his arrival at the Casa Rosada.
