The Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, has dismissed Ángel Contreras as president of Adif and Adif Alta Velocidad (Adif AV) on Friday. Contreras had only been in the position for nine months, with his appointment approved by the Cabinet on December 5th at the recommendation of the current Minister of Transport. Government sources justify the dismissal as part of a restructuring within Adif and deny any connection to the Koldo case. The decision comes on a day marked by new delays, affecting travelers at stations like Atocha and Sants. The president of Adif is a key figure within the Ministry of Transport, and Contreras is a veteran of the company, having previously served as Director General of Conservation and Maintenance before becoming president.
While Ángel Contreras did not come out poorly in audits ordered by Minister Puente to define responsibilities related to the Koldo case within the ministry, his name has been linked repeatedly with that of advisor Koldo García during José Luis Ábalos’ time as Minister of Transport. Following the release of the audit conclusions, the Ministry’s sub-secretary, Jesús Manuel Gómez, and Adif’s director general of personnel, Michaux Miranda, were removed from their positions. Sources close to the railway infrastructure manager suggest that Contreras’ dismissal may have been influenced by the numerous railway incidents that occurred over the summer, including cancellations and significant delays in Rodalíes de Barcelona due to issues with a train coming from the Can Tunis train depot.
Contreras had been involved in the public transportation sector since 2011 when he joined Adif from Ineco, a public engineering company, where he worked as director of high-speed platform construction. His sudden dismissal as president of Adif has come as a surprise, given his lengthy experience within the company. The summer saw a series of railway incidents and delays, with disruptions also occurring on Friday in the Barcelona Rodalíes network, affecting the station of Sants due to track damage caused by a faulty train leaving the Can Tunis depot.
The decision to remove Ángel Contreras as president of Adif and Adif AV by Minister Puente is seen as part of a broader restructuring within Adif, with Contreras’ dismissal following a series of railway disruptions over the summer months. Contreras’ background in engineering and extensive experience within Adif did not shield him from being dismissed from his role as president, with his relationship to the Koldo case during the tenure of José Luis Ábalos as Minister of Transport also being highlighted in media reports. The impact of Contreras’ removal on the future direction of Adif and the high-speed rail projects under its purview remains to be seen, as the Ministry of Transport moves to address ongoing challenges in the Spanish railway system.
