Fifteen days after the tragic train crash at Once station, the federal government has appointed a new transport secretary to take over the controversial sector.
Mayor Alejandro Ariel Ramos of Granadero Baigorria, Santa Fe took the reins yesterday, taking over from Juan Pablo Schiavi. The 36-year-old lawyer who received 70% of the vote when elected in Santa Fe.
“You have to listen to people and think about what needs to be done,” said federal Planning Minister Julio De Vido during the inauguration ceremony. Ramos was sworn in by De Vido.
After the Once station accident – which killed 51 people and injured 703 – Schiavi was severely questioned for his role in the deterioration of the system. He became the center of the storm of criticism, and was scorched even by leaders of the ruling party.
The former transportation secretary stepped down yesterday after receiving word that President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner said he “had to go.”
De Vido, however, said “no one can accuse the officer on duty for the decades of neglect” of the system and transportation routes.
