The railway crisis has become chronic in Catalonia and the predictions of what is to come in the short term are not good. The Rodalies network remains immersed in endless alterations, delays and cancellations, which it has not even managed to hide this week during the celebration of , with Barcelona converted into a showcase for visitors from all over the world and registering various incidents in train connections with El Prat airport. Throughout the network there are more than 200 points with speed limitations due to works or the need for them. The start of the interventions in the Garraf tunnels will take place this March, as confirmed by , which will further complicate the situation. The work, considered urgent due to the poor condition of the structure that supports the bridges in several sections of the cliff, will force trains to circulate on a single track, which will hinder and slow down circulation along the southern corridor.
A month and a half has passed since the tragic accident in Gelida (Barcelona), where the Rodalies Renfe service continues to operate in fits and starts. This Tuesday, the circulation of line R11 between Portbou and Figueres was interrupted shortly after seven in the morning due to a problem with the signaling systems. Before eight o’clock, Adif considered the fault “solved”, but the damage to the trains that cover the service to Girona and Barcelona lasted for hours. At noon the delays were more than sixty minutes.
On the lines that connect with Lleida, Tarragona, Reus or Terres de l’Ebre, delays of more than 30 minutes are repeated. Or more. This Tuesday, an R14 train that left Lleida at 1:07 p.m. did not arrive in Barcelona Sants until 5:15 p.m., one hour later than expected.
On R3, the line that goes to Vic and Puigcerdà, traffic is still completely cut off and there is no improvement forecast. The platform for travelers affected by the R3 states that the reopening of the section between La Garriga and Ripoll could be ready during this month, but for the activation of the road that reaches Puigcerdà the wait will last until at least April. The alternative service is being covered with buses but users report that the supply is not enough and has been overwhelmed.
The impact on commuter lines causes the main railway headaches, but they are not the only ones. Added to this are the delays caused by the high speed and the dysfunctions that Avant train users have been reporting for weeks. On Friday, dozens of passengers on the Barcelona-Girona-Figueres line were forced to evacuate a high-speed train that had become blocked in a tunnel between the La Sagrera and Sants stations.
Despite the fact that they imply higher ticket rates, Avant trains, which run on high-speed tracks, have been one of the alternatives that railway users have opted for, given the distrust generated by Rodalies. Also in the Avant of the Barcelona-Camp de Tarragona-Lleida line, complaints have intensified due to the repeated lack of punctuality and the cancellation of trains without warning.
A similar situation exists with the Euromed that covers the route between Barcelona and Valencia. Although it has a forecast of three and a half hours for a journey of about 350 kilometers, delays are a norm. This Tuesday, the train that had to arrive at 2:50 p.m. to Sants did so an hour later.
He insists that there is an ambitious improvement plan underway, but in the short term there is nothing to suggest that the situation can be reversed. Minister Óscar Puente emphasized this Monday that work on the Garraf tunnels will begin this March. This is an urgent intervention to optimize the security of the southern corridor, at a point that is very degraded and that has generated protests from users and mayors of the area because they consider that security is at stake. Puente points out that the work to reinforce and stabilize the pillars has not started earlier at the express request of the Generalitat, so as not to accumulate works. While the work is being carried out, the expected duration of which is three months, the supply between the Castelldefels and Vilanova i la Getrú stations will be reduced, and trains on lines R13, R14, R15, R16 and R17 will have to be diverted through Vilafranca del Penedès towards Barcelona.
According to the minister, the improvements in Rodalies “have to be noticed gradually” and he has specified that, currently, there are 130 works in progress on that network. According to their figures, in two years the investment in Catalonia reaches 1,200 million euros and the works underway are the maximum that can be done without affecting the provision of the service.
Renfe has reported this week that it has once again been a profitable company at the end of 2025. After five consecutive years of losses, the company has reaped a net result of 50 million driven by the Renfe Viajeros division, whose profits have risen to 70.2 million (5.4 million euros in 2024).
