Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the Partido Popular, announced this morning the death of Pablo Vázquez Vega, who chaired Renfe between 2014 and 2016 during Mariano Rajoy’s government, with Ana Pastor as Minister of Development. He succeeded Julio Gómez-Pomar.
Born in Cáceres in 1965, a law graduate and PhD in economics, he rose to head the public operator after serving as Undersecretary at the Ministry of Health (2002–2004), also under Pastor.
During his tenure, Renfe underwent a period of restructuring marked by consolidation of AVE high-speed services and preparations for the future liberalisation of Spain’s passenger rail market. Vázquez combined a technical-economic profile with the management of a company transitioning towards a more competitive landscape.
One of the milestones of his presidency was the procurement of the Series 106 high-capacity trainsets, intended to counter SNCF’s planned low-cost high-speed entry into Spain.
Before and after his time at Renfe, Vázquez chaired Ineco, the state-owned transport engineering consultancy, and led the Foundation for Applied Economic Studies (Fedea). In recent years he became a key PP figure as president of Reformismo 21, the think tank that replaced FAES, having also served as a PP member of parliament in 2023.
Feijóo expressed his condolences, highlighting Vázquez’s intelligence and dedication, while the PP issued numerous tributes recognising his contribution.
Rest in peace.