INTERVIEW
ABELARDO CARRILLO
Renfe's Nearness Manager

"THE METROSUR IS COMPATIBLE WITH NEARNESS"

Renfe's Nearness projects seem solid and, in a near future, this Business Unit (UNE) isn't afraid of the competition, outside or inside. Those are the words said by Abelardo Carrillo, manager of the Business Unit of Nearness, during the presentation of the new system of automatic transportation on the line C-5.

ALVARO GRAIÑO
Foto: M.A. PATIER

Nearness Manager insists in the Nearness condition as a simply operator of transports in the cold of politic decisions more important. Near it, explains also some questions as the relation between the Metrosur project, the relation with Regionals and the future politic of the material buyings.

What do you think about that the Regional Government wants to take in charge of the management of the Nearness line?

We haven't got any valuation, because of the central Government and the regional Government must argue about that corresponding to their respective jobs. We are a transport operator and our only mission is the management of the enterprise in the field of Nearness transport.

Nearness and Metrosur are going to give a service very similar, what is the attitude of your Business Unit in this theme? Are you going to change the politics in any case or are you going to reinforce your presence?

We think that Metrosur is a Madrid Autonomous Region's project which is compatible with the transportation of Nearness trains and also complementary. We are now working in a project with the objective of doing complementary the stations, and for that we must build good interchangers at each coincidence stations.

Do you think that Nearness is prepairing to enlarge its services in relation to the increase demand specially into the urban undergrounds?

Well, this is one of the projects that permits to enlarge the Nearness offer. We think that has always wanted to recieve new passangers, that the capacity of obtaining travellers is in relation to the quality of the services and we think that the project which today show (the system of automatic driving) is in this line, the one which will permit to be possible the increase of the number of passangers who use the Nearness line.

I understand that there is undefinition in relation to the different of actuations between Regional Trains and Nearness, also of which we can call "invasions" in some cases, have you got anyplan in the future in this theme? Can Nearness and Regional Trains live in the future indepently?

There isn't any problem, because each one has its zone perfectly defined and we think that the offer is perfectly clear at Nearness' places. Outside of this places the Bussiness Unit of Regional Trains has its own offer. Because all of this I think that are perfectly clear the zones of each one of the Business Unit.

In relation to the projects of the rolling stock, nowadays in Nearness are being used the models 446 and 447, are we going to use these trains?

Well, the 446 is being replaced in the new buyings by the 447, and the trains we are recieving, belong to the model 447. We have an actual order of 66 trains which we are recieving in this moment and until the year 2001; that is to say, until July of 2001 we are recieving trains belonging to the model 447 and we think that when we would buy new trains, we must develop the technology to questions that we are interesred in relation to the exploitation, but we are working in the technological develop of the new trains which will replace to the model 447.

And more correctly?

We are studying the possibility of having more easinesses of exploitation, making typesetting more flexible, having more less cost of exploitation, less energic consumer and more commercial loans for the travellers such as the new information systems and other loans which we think that the passangers can appraise.