Rodalies cannot reliably provide train services in Catalonia on the morning of 7 October. Òscar Playà, Rodalies director, said that no trains were currently running on the R1 line and that replacement services did not have enough capacity. The background is storm damage and an incident on 6 October near Vilanova i la Geltrú, where a tree and part of a hillside fell onto a train carrying around 100 passengers. No one was injured, according to official sources; the on-site response has been completed.
The infrastructure manager Adif says that, following inspections, initial sections can be reopened, in some cases with temporary speed limits. To do so, Adif is relying on “marxes exploratòries”, test runs with empty trains to check whether the tracks are safe to use. Renfe is trying to stabilise services gradually; however, the actual number of trains remains below plan.
The union SEMAF argues that the checks carried out so far are not sufficient after the heavy rain. It is calling for formal, written safety guarantees before drivers resume their normal duties. Until then, staff are advising against travelling on the worst-affected sections. Rodalies confirms that, without these assurances, passengers should expect short-notice cancellations and heavily reduced frequencies.
The latest spell of bad weather has affected several sections of track in the Barcelona metropolitan area. In addition to blocked lines and waterlogged embankments, temporary closures and replacement bus services are disrupting the morning commute, with buses only able to absorb a limited share of the impact. The dispute over how to handle the risks points to a lack of trust between the infrastructure operator, the transport companies and train staff. While Adif and Renfe refer to established protocols, employees insist on additional guarantees in light of the effects of the weather.
How quickly regular services can resume depends on the technical checks under way and any agreements reached between the parties. Rodalies says it will provide ongoing updates and recommends checking the latest information before setting off and allowing extra time for journeys. One thing is clear: until agreement is reached on safety standards, services and frequencies in Catalonia will remain significantly reduced.
Editor: Andreas M. Brucker (Article created with AI assistance).