The Council of Ministers approved the appointment of Inmaculada Gutiérrez Carrizo as Renfe’s new chairwoman on Friday, replacing Álvaro Fernández Heredia, who leaves the post after just over a year in office. ElEconomista first reported the news, noting that First Deputy Prime Minister Carlos Cuerpo thanked Heredia for his work during his tenure.
Gutiérrez Carrizo joins the chairmanship from Renfe’s International Projects division, where she oversaw the company’s business management and development in overseas markets and railway projects outside Spain. An economics graduate of the Complutense University of Madrid, she has been with Renfe since September 2020.
The new chairwoman of Renfe Operadora is a commercial and state economist who built her career in the public administration and the private sector. She served on the Competition Defence Tribunal and as a board member of the CNMC, as well as Spain’s Economic and Commercial Counsellor in the United States. She also served as a board member of the National Competition Commission.
A tenure of less than two years
Her appointment follows the resignation of Óscar Puente, the appointment of Carlos Cuerpo as Transport and Sustainable Mobility minister, and the resignation of Pedro Marco de la Peña after the Urda accident. With general elections just 16 days away and opinion polls predicting a change of government, Inmaculada Gutiérrez’s tenure is expected to be very short.
Former minister Óscar Puente appointed Fernández Heredia as Renfe chairman in January 2025. He is a civil engineer and holds a doctorate in transport engineering and planning from the Technical University of Madrid, as well as a degree in Geography and History from the UNED.
Highlights of his tenure include returning Renfe to profitability, work on developing a new ticketing system — commissioned in 2023 by his predecessor, Raül Blanco — and implementing the Pase Vía, under which regular Avant passengers save on their journeys. He also launched the open-data portal and real-time train visualisation for Cercanías a year ago, followed by the remaining passenger services in March 2026. His work also included the Integrated Workshops and Maintenance Plan and the corporate rebranding, resulting in service improvements that Renfe boasts, including the return of the iconic “galleta” livery.
This morning, before his dismissal was formalised, he shared the rebranding project liveries on his X account. Following the change of management, it remains to be seen whether any new livery other than the Cercanías “Morse” scheme will be seen.
However, his management will be remembered for distrust arising from his background in the bus transport sector, and for his attempt to create a bus subsidiary to operate rail-replacement road services at lower cost.