Problems are piling up on the R2 Sud Rodalies line, in Garraf, since the tunnel maintenance works began two weeks ago. The alternative transport plan designed to ensure train circulation while the work continues is not working. The reason? Some of the drivers have refused to work with the new schedules defined by Renfe for this operation, which has rendered the new timetable for the trains useless, as they now run on a single track due to the works. The Spanish drivers' union Semaf alleges that the company did not comply with the established deadlines to give sufficient notice of the changes.

Excluding the pandemic, the rail crisis is, due to its magnitude and duration, one of the most serious infrastructural—and by extension, economic and social—episodes that Catalonia has experienced in recent years. After decades of neglect, it will take time and money to modernize the commuter rail network, and it will take even more to regain the trust of users and citizens as a whole. A systemic failure like this only deepens political disaffection and puts the institutional system in a precarious position, currently giving wings to anti-establishment parties of the populist far right. In this sense, it is actually worrying that Saturday's demonstrations did not have a massive turnout: it means that people don't really believe in a possible solution and it also means that the protest will be channeled through other false and more unpredictable avenues.

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.

Catalan train drivers are a minority in the commuter rail network. Year after year, the rail network is staffed by drivers from other autonomous communities. Most are young—between 20 and 30 years old—and choose Catalonia to settle temporarily and train. Industry sources say that the Catalan rail service provides a pool of train drivers for Renfe, but they also admit that few decide to stay indefinitely: some change destinations after two or three years, either to return home or to find a less problematic train service. Sources within the sector confirm to ARA that this trend has existed for years, despite efforts to retain train drivers and, above all, to encourage interest from potential applicants residing in Catalonia. For example, with courses subsidized by the Generalitat (Catalan government), which can cover up to half of the €20,000 cost of training. However, unions and workers point to two reasons behind the exodus to Cercanías (commuter rail): Catalonia has a higher cost of living and the most complex railway infrastructure in Spain. Regarding the high cost of living, it's worth noting that a train driver's salary ranges from €22,000 at the start of their career to €45,000 in higher categories (including bonuses), but this salary doesn't provide the same economic stability in Barcelona as it does in Mà. On the other hand, there are the track layouts, which are the most intricate or oldest in the country—there are many tunnels, numerous junctions and crossings, and daily overlap of different services (Cercanías, Regional, Medium Distance) on the same rails—and the numerous incidents that occur, including fatal accidents and collisions.

1. Adif and the train drivers who operate in Catalonia have thoroughly inspected all the tracks and identified the number of dangerous areas. They have reported that the sections of commuter rail lines that need repair are exactly 155. Not 154, not 156. 155. Does anyone think this number is a coincidence? Those of us who have been suspicious for some time now see it as a provocation every time this number is mentioned.

Fatal accidents. Landslides. Sinking structures. Questionable maintenance. Lack of investment. Mutinous train drivers. These are just some of the issues that have characterized this tragic week on the Catalan rail network, which ends with a fatal accident in Gelida (preceded by another in Córdoba), three landslides, the collapse of two retaining walls (in Gelida and Pineda), and dozens of minor breakdowns. This unfortunate series of events has led the Generalitat – the body responsible for the service – to announce another shutdown of the entire system this Saturday morning. This has left Catalonia without rail service.More than 1,400 kilometers of track, but no trains.

Catalonia is experiencing an unprecedented situation this week. The commuter rail service, crucial for ensuring mobility throughout the country, was suspended for two days following an accident that resulted in the death of a train driver. Due to the same accident, the AP-7, the highway that crosses the country from south to north and is the main route for freight exports, remained closed for more than 24 hours southbound. This mobility chaos has exposed the weaknesses of public transport infrastructure that is nearing collapse due to a number of factors, including a long-standing lack of investment and the effects of climate change.

This Sunday, in our report, we focus on the main works being carried out on the Cercanías commuter rail network. We also examine the locations where the most disruptions have occurred. These locations don't always coincide, which calls into question the arguments used to justify train delays and cancellations. Our journalists have diligently gathered this information because, as with on-site service, details about the network's operation and problem areas are not easily obtained from the company.

Beyond the struggle with the strike by the minority union workers of Renfe and the operator over the transfer of Cercanías – which yesterday again caused Delays and cancellations of some trains–, Renfe has admitted that it is investigating and has already removed two workers from their responsibilities for alleged sabotage of the service that would have affected hundreds of passengers.

The platform on Barcelona's Passeig de Gràcia was evacuated Tuesday afternoon so emergency services could respond to a train breakdown. The incident occurred during another day of strikes on the commuter trains, and the incident forced Renfe to redirect traffic via one track between Sants and Estació de Francia. The Barcelona Fire Brigade helped passengers get off the damaged train, although Renfe maintains this was a precaution, as passengers had already been able to leave the carriages. The incident affects lines R2, R2 Norte, R2 Sur, R11, and the Southern Regional lines, all with delays of approximately 25 minutes.

The transfer of the Cercanías (Commuter Trains) system to the Generalitat (Catalan regional government) has sparked a great deal of strife in recent weeks. And not just political ones. One of the groups that has openly expressed its opposition has been Renfe's train drivers. They fear that the change of ownership will affect their working conditions and have tried (and succeeded) to force changes in the structure of the new joint venture. The lack of Catalan train drivers (currently 80% are from outside the country), the turnover, and the constant mobility of these workers have further strained the operation of an already delicate system. But the situation could change.

Negotiations are intensifying in Madrid in the hours leading up to the Renfe train drivers' strike, which is scheduled to begin on Monday, with a 24-hour walkout by train drivers. The Spanish government is reportedly negotiating with unions about the possibility of the new commuter rail operator that will manage the service once the transfer is completed "being located within the Renfe group for all purposes." This is evident from the leaked draft agreement between the Ministry of Transport and the Renfe and Adif unions, which ACN reported and which ARA has also had access to. The document—which bears the name of the Ministry of Transport but no seal or signature—also proposes that Adif maintain "comprehensive management" of the R1 line, between La Sagrera and Maçanet-Massanes, once the transfer of ownership of this line takes place.

Spanish state rail company Renfe train drivers will go on a third day of strike this Monday. There is uncertainty as to whether they will cause the same levels of disruption as last week, when commuter service Rodalies suffered delays, crowding and some hours of circulatory cuts due to the breach of fixed minimum services, according to the company. That is why during the whole weekend Renfe claims it has informed drivers who are required to turn up today in various ways: 300 letters have been delivered by hand and 530 registered faxes have been sent, as well as 1,600 certified notifications via e-mail through company Lleida.net