Rail chaos blocks goods from the ports of Barcelona and Tarragona

BarcelonaThe rail chaos that Catalonia has been experiencing for the past week is worsening. The closure of the Rubí tunnel has disrupted freight traffic leaving the Port of Barcelona bound for France. After detecting a crack in the tunnel's return section, the port has had to completely halt traffic since Monday. The disruption in Rubí, which has persisted for days, prevents trains from Barcelona and southern Catalonia from reaching the rest of the continent, as well as preventing trains from arriving from France.

This disruption adds to the ongoing impact on operations at the Port of Barcelona. due to the commuter train accident in GelidaWhen a train crashed into a retaining wall that had collapsed onto the tracks due to heavy rains, a trainee driver was killed and 37 others were injured. The resulting traffic restrictions on this line are affecting freight trains on the Iberian gauge heading towards the Ebro River, which can only travel on the coastal line at night, from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. The only freight traffic unaffected is that arriving via the Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat (FGC) network, which has not experienced any incidents. On a day without incident, the port of Barcelona received three international trains. Meanwhile, domestic traffic averaged 22 trains per day.

A blockade that also affects the Port of Tarragona, which has stopped moving between 12,000 and 15,000 tons of cargo daily since last week, according to EFE. According to the Tarragona Port Authority (APT), the lack of trains has primarily affected the movement of grain, chemicals, and steel products. The port typically handles an average of thirteen freight trains daily.

For economist Josep Reyner, president of the Catalan Economy Commission of the College of Economists of Catalonia, it is too early to quantify the economic impact of this blockade on freight and the commuter rail service.. "The immediate impact of these days is one thing, but the structural impact of having a service that is losing credibility and trust is another. Users suffer delays and lose hours, and businesses lose goods. It's not just about the immediate cost, but also about the potential for this view to become entrenched that services like our country's commuter rail are essential for the region's prosperity," he argues.

No reopening date

The Secretary of State for Transport, José Antonio Santano, has ruled out in an interview on the Coffee of ideas RTVE has confirmed a reopening date for the Rubí tunnel, but assured that it will be a matter of days. The state government plans to carry out an "initial action" to be able to open the passage for freight. Work is underway to define the emergency works to be carried out, which would be compatible with the passage of trains.

In August of last year, Adif tendered the execution of the improvement works in the Rubí tunnel, for an amount of 23.3 million euros. The technical report indicated that the tunnel presented "untreated cracks in sections without existing reinforcement," "dampness, leaks and efflorescence," as well as "insufficient cover" in "reinforced" areas. In light of Tuesday's collapse, Santano has indicated that "we cannot wait" for the planned improvement works.

Planes and carpooling between Barcelona and Madrid are booming

This entire gridlock situation is also affecting passengers taking high-speed trains between Barcelona and Madrid. The speed restrictions implemented on some sections of the route for safety reasons, following complaints from train drivers, are drastically disrupting the punctuality that has always characterized this service. During the day, each journey is slower than usual and arrives later, resulting in delays across all trains. This is causing a cumulative effect of delays for all operators, which could ultimately lead to further disruptions. arriving until six hours at the end of the day, when the day's delays accumulate.

All of this means that commuters between the two capitals are looking for alternatives. After years of declining passenger numbers in favor of trains, flights between El Prat and Barajas airports are seeing an increase these days, while rail operators like Ouigo have already detected "a contraction in demand, which is due both to the shock among travelers following the Adamuz accident, as well as due to the longer journey times, as explained by sources at the French company. "We remain confident in the future of high-speed rail in Spain and expect a recovery in demand soon," they stated. Iberia is the airline offering the most frequent flights on this route, its main service to the country. The airline schedules 14 flights in each direction every day, with flights departing as frequently as every half hour during peak times. Air Europa also serves this route, with two daily flights in each direction. Vueling stopped offering it in the middle of last year due to a drop in users.

Passengers departing from Barcelona Airport have grown by 30% in the last week, compared to the same period in 2025, according to data from the flight booking platform Kiwi. Conversely, travelers flying from Madrid Airport have increased by 54%. Tickets have also become more expensive, in both directions, with an increase of around 20%.

Not only are planes filling up more, but car journeys are also skyrocketing. This was detected by BlaBlaCar, which saw bookings jump by 130% this past week between Barcelona and Madrid compared to the same week in January last year.

A journey of over 600 kilometers that takes nearly 7 hours, hardly competitive compared to the two and a half hours of high-speed rail when it's running normally, but with a significantly lower price, averaging just 34 euros, according to the ridesharing platform.