The tragedies in Adamuz and Gelida in January, which caused 47 fatalities, cast doubt on the entire Spanish railway system, not only because the accidents called into question the maintenance and safety of the network, but also because since then train travel has not been the same. In Catalonia, Rodalies still suffers from line closures, speed restrictions and service delays, and high-speed journey times have lengthened. Trips from Barcelona to Madrid now take half an hour longer due to the system, and there are unexpected delays and stops on the tracks without anyone providing any explanation to users. The reason is the speed restrictions imposed by the ministry – especially on the Zaragoza-Calatayud stretch – following incidents reported by train drivers. What complaints are we talking about? Were there more incidents than usual after Adamuz? Did the labor dispute between the Semaf union and the ministry, which ended in a strike, have anything to do with it? And more importantly, what actions has Transport taken to resolve the state of the infrastructure? ARA made a transparency request to the Spanish government to clarify these points, but the request has been rejected. In other words, the public administration has refused to release this information, and the Communications Department of the Ministry of Transport refers to the official response given through the transparency process.

The southern commuter rail corridor, one of the most strained sections of the Catalan rail network, continues to face setbacks. This March, it was announced that one of the key projects intended to improve train capacity and flow on this section of the R2 South line—the quadrupling of the tracks between Castelldefels and El Prat—has been stalled once again and is now pushed back to well beyond 2030. The reason? A change of heart by the Ministry of Transport has sent the project back to square one: the initial administrative procedures must begin anew, rendering the original timeline meaningless. Adding these tracks to the R2 line is considered one of the most significant actions in the Commuter Rail Plan in terms of improving capacity in this area. The project is not new; it first appeared in the 2020 Commuter Rail Plan. In mid-2024, with Adif's approval, the construction project was drafted. At that time, the work was considered simply an "expansion" of the existing infrastructure, which technically allowed bureaucratic steps to move forward.

A technical issue at the Adif station in Sant Vicenç de Calders, Tarragona, is currently causing disruptions on seven Renfe commuter rail lines: R2 South, R4, R13, R14, R15, R16, and R17, according to both companies. The rail infrastructure manager, Adif, explained that the problem affects the infrastructure that controls signaling, track switches, and train movement at this location, and that technicians are working to restore the system and return the network to normal. Meanwhile, on the R2 South line, service is suspended between Cunit and Sant Vicenç. On the R4 line, the disruption is between El Vendrell and Sant Vicenç. The interruption on the R14, R15, R16, and R17 lines is between Torredembarra and Sant Vicenç, and on the R13 line, between Roda de Berà and Sant Vicenç.

The latest Commuter Rail Plan, the most up-to-date, is almost 300 pages long. It's the document that details all the railway works planned from now until 2030 to improve the Catalan network: it explains what they consist of, specifies their cost, and establishes a timeline. These range from the most ambitious projects, such as the Sagrera station, the doubling of the R3 line, and the undergrounding of the Montcada station, to much smaller, faster, and even cheaper projects that can significantly improve the network's capacity. One of these smaller planned projects is in Tordera. It's classified under the section of "strategic" works programmed to "improve network capacity" and involves building a siding in front of this station, on the section of the R1 line between Blanes and Maçanet-Massanes. "This section is single-track, without sidings, for a length of more than 15 kilometers," the plan notes. "To facilitate the resolution of incidents that may disrupt the normal operation of the line, it is proposed to reinstate the siding and platform formerly in use at Tordera station," the document continues.

International freight transport faces another setback. Emergency repairs underway in the Rubí tunnel, an infrastructure project on the route to France, will force a closure for almost two months starting this Friday. This marks a new chapter in the difficult recovery underway on this section of the line since the outbreak of the rail crisis following the commuter train accident in Gelida, where a driver was killed. The Rubí tunnel was closed for almost two weeks between the end of January and the beginning of February, when emergency work began on the most critical points of this more than 900-meter-long infrastructure project, inaugurated in the 1980s to divert freight traffic away from Barcelona. Specifically, work is being carried out on a 120-meter section where a large crack needs to be repaired.

The Secretary of State for Transport, José Antonio Santano, has reacted in the controversy generated by the alleged removal of railway equipment from the area of ​​the Adamuz accident in January, "under cover of darkness and without judicial authorization." In a public appearance this Tuesday in Barcelona, ​​Santano denied any wrongdoing and defended Adif's work.

President Isla's statement still lingers in current political affairs,"I know what needs to be done, what Catalonia needs"An idea he will surely elaborate on in his interview on TV3 tonight at 10 pm. Coming from him, it can only mean collaboration with the State, such as bringing in the second-in-command to the Minister of Transport to put an end to the Renfe and Adif chaos on the commuter rail lineAnd a demand for Esquerra and Comuns to approve the budget. The leader of the opposition in exile, Carles Puigdemont, rightly reminded Salvador Illa yesterday that the legislature didn't begin yesterday, that he has been governing for a year and a half, lest the Catalan government try to use his medical discharge as a way to reset the clock.

Rail freight transport has seen everything suddenly come to a standstill.Gelida commuter train accident, where a train driver died, cutting off passenger traffic, but also that of the trains that They carry cargo From the port of Barcelona to the rest of Spain. A blockade that worsened with the closure of the Rubí tunnel, an infrastructure located on the route of goods to Europe and which has had internal cracks for some time. The solution to this standstill was to return to road transport those few goods that are currently being moved by rail. Weeks later, rail container traffic has resumed, but with restrictions and the expectation that this precarious situation will continue for years.

The Renfe train drivers' strike lasted one day, because yesterday it was cancelled after negotiations between the unions and the ministry in Madrid.

International freight transport will take time to return to normal. The works to improve the Rubí tunnel will last for three years, as ARA has learned. Adif has announced the new operating hours for the infrastructure, which is affected by structural deficiencies that forced its closure two weeks ago and disrupted shipments to Europe of goods arriving by sea at the port of Barcelona, ​​as well as those coming by train from the French border.

The train drivers and the rest of the Renfe and Adif workersThe strike was called off at noon The train strike that began this Monday has been called off, according to Semaf General Secretary Diego Martín, after another meeting with the Ministry of Transport. Hours later, the railway unions explained that they had reached an agreement with the Spanish government to call off the strike. This agreement includes increased investment in track and train maintenance, improved safety measures, and strengthened mechanisms to ensure compliance, as Martín explained. Thus, the planned strikes for Tuesday and Wednesday have been suspended. This Tuesday, eight commuter rail lines—R1, R3, R4, R7, R8, RG1, R15, and RL4—continue to experience service disruptions, and alternative bus services have been arranged to cover their routes. The agreement reached by the unions Semaf, CCOO, and UGT—but not CGT, which is maintaining the strike—with the Spanish government is based on improved investment in infrastructure and working conditions in the sector. "It's a historic agreement for the railway," the union leader told the media. The general secretary of Semaf explained that the more than 25-page national agreement will "double" investment in rail and should establish "clear limits and responsibilities" for the main players in the sector. In fact, the largest union confirmed that they are calling off the strike because they have achieved "all the demands" they had made. Among the main measures included in the agreement is the classification of breaks of less than 45 minutes taken by train drivers as "driving time." Regarding Adif, the agreement establishes "fixed and permanent" regular meetings with workers and a 77% increase in maintenance spending by 2030, reaching the budgeted 1.179 billion euros. Regarding high-speed rail, spending will increase by 44%, rising from €435.6 million last year to €629 million. As for staffing, an agreement has been reached to create 1,200 additional contracts for maintenance and driving, among other roles, at Renfe, and 2,400 additional positions at Adif over a four-year period. Furthermore, the agreement, which has helped to demobilize the sector, includes the creation of a working group to develop a common protocol for responding to weather alerts and the insourcing of maintenance for some trains—including those used in Tarragona and Portbou—and for any new trains that are put out to tender. The agreement also highlights the fact that a committee must be established within a maximum of one month to harmonize and coordinate railway risk management actions, that a working group must be created with Adif to monitor the implementation and removal of temporary speed restrictions (TSRs), and that a document regulating notifications must be drafted by the workers.

"Now it turns out that more than 400 points on the railway network need to be checked. And if we do nothing and don't complain, we'll just keep running as if nothing's wrong and see if another tragedy doesn't happen? That can't be. We want a structural reform and greater safety," argue sources from Semaf, the largest train drivers' union. "We thought we knew the most complicated areas, and we already thought there were many, but they weren't all of them. But we see the most serious problems: crooked trees, potholes... When you go through a tunnel, unless a piece falls, you don't know if everything is okay or not," argues Francisco Cárdenas, a train driver with more than four years of experience.

Adrià Ramírez (Taradell, 1987) is the president of Public Transport Promotion (PTP), one of the user associations leading Saturday afternoon's demonstration against the management of the commuter rail service. The PTP, which is not affiliated with any political party, has been acting as a lobbying group for years within the rail sector and the public administration. "I encourage all train users to approach their nearest platform: that's often how things start to move," he says.

After being closed for a week, the Rubí tunnel partially reopened this Thursday at midday, according to sources at Adif (Spain's railway infrastructure manager). This marks the beginning of the reactivation of international freight rail traffic, which had been halted both at the Port of Barcelona and at the French border. The first train to pass through the Rubí tunnel was a test train, operated by Captrain, to ensure the safety of the infrastructure. This test run is similar to the trial runs carried out on the Rodalies commuter rail lines before they reopen, as industry sources indicate. Next will be a train coming from Germany and destined for the Port of Barcelona. It had been stopped for fifteen days between France and Figueres, loaded with cars from the Mercedes-Benz group, and is therefore known as the "Mercedes-Benz train." Daimler, referring to one of the founders of the automotive group.

The problems affecting train service in Catalonia are slow to resolve, and this Thursday the Minister of Territory, Silvia Paneque, announced that commuter rail will remain free "until the system is fully restored." "Free travel will continue for as long as necessary because it's clear we can't make users pay for the service currently being provided," Paneque stated. In fact, neither the authorities nor the operator, Renfe, are willing to set a date for the full restoration of service, so journeys will be free indefinitely. But in addition to the reduced service on the commuter lines for Catalan users, there's a new setback, this time regarding journeys between Barcelona and Madrid: after two weeks of accumulated delays, from now until the end of the year, journeys will take an additional 25 minutes.

The Catalan government is raising its voice. The Minister of Territory, Silvia Paneque, explained that "for the first time" the entire commuter rail network is undergoing a comprehensive review and declared that the state of the infrastructure they found is "fragile" and "utterly deplorable." She made these remarks during an appearance before the Catalan Parliament on Thursday. Paneque also took the opportunity to boast about her handling of the rail crisis in Catalonia, triggered by the Gelida accident, where a young trainee train driver lost his life after a retaining wall collapsed under the R4 train he was traveling on, on January 20th. The Minister asserted that the Catalan government "has prioritized safety at all times," and also reiterated its demands for dismissals at both Renfe and Adif, as well as its pressure on the Ministry to accelerate investment.

The rail chaos in Catalonia, affecting both commuter and freight services, coupled with the closure of the AP-7 highway, has a cost, currently incalculable, for the Catalan economy. The full impact will likely become clear when the first-quarter GDP figures are calculated, but for now, the consequences are lost work hours, goods not arriving and even industries being paralyzed, and public funds being used to pay for the removal of tolls on the C-32 highway—already around 9 million euros for the lower section alone—or for the rent. On Tuesday, the government approved an allocation of over 4 million euros. The true cost, however, is difficult to calculate when the logistics sector is forced to seek alternatives to rail transport, whose costs skyrocket, or when some companies, like Inovyn in Martorell, which has halted production, are not receiving the raw materials they need to manufacture their products. In fact, the chemical sector is one of the most affected, especially in the province of Barcelona, ​​and not so much in Tarragona, where many of the goods are moved through the pipeline transfer network (rack).

A street less than six meters wide runs alongside the Portbou riverbank, still carrying water from the recent rains, leading to the only vehicle access point for the second largest rail freight warehouse in Spain. It's 180,000 square meters, long forgotten, near the French border, but these days the paralysis of infrastructure in Catalonia is felt more acutely than ever after the accident in Gelida and the closure of the Rubí tunnel, through which freight passes. 23,000 tons of steel are piled up in the large warehouse in Portbou belonging to the rail logistics operator Railsider, which specializes in the steel industry. And another 8,000 tons are on their way. Operating since 1997, Railsider is the only operator still active in this last town on the Costa Brava, but in almost three decades it has never experienced a situation like this.

The rail chaos in Catalonia has had a major impact on operations at the Port of Barcelona and all the goods that usually leave daily by train from its terminals. the Gelida commuter train accidentThe train accident that resulted in the death of a driver has affected trains traveling south. This disruption has intensified since last week, when the Rubí tunnel, used by trains connecting to France, had to be closed. This situation has led to the national and international disruption of the Port of Barcelona and a 10% increase in daily truck traffic at the port to handle container shipments.

Today was another typical day for the commuter rail service, meaning chaos and confusion about whether the system is running or not. It's only running or not, given that only five lines are fully operational, while eleven others still have sections closed and are being offered as alternative bus services.