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.

The Spanish train operator Renfe, which manages the trains that run on the Cercanías de Catalunya service (among others), decided this week to undertake a transparency exercise and publish its punctuality and delay data across the country. They did so through their transparency and good governance portal, using data updated through September of this year. The first figure that stands out is obvious: according to the company's calculations, only 47.7% of trains run on schedule. In other words, more than half of the trains do not meet established schedules and arrive later than scheduled at the various stations and stops along their route.

Delays on commuter trains are, sadly, part of everyday life for many Catalans who use public transport to get to work. The historic lack of investment in the lines, coupled with the effects of the construction works now being carried out simultaneously in many parts of the country to update the network, have meant that in 2025 the number of notable incidents on the commuter network has become a constant headache for commuters and also a source of political confrontation.

Service on the R3 commuter train is disrupted between Centelles and Vic due to a low-speed collision between a train and a semi-trailer truck on the track crossing between Sant Miquel de Balenyà and Els Hostalets de Balenyà (Osona), according to Renfe and the Generalitat Fire Brigade. The collision caused no injuries, but forced the evacuation of between 50 and 60 passengers who were on the train, and Renfe does not expect to be able to resume service on the affected section throughout Tuesday.

When trains are late, commuters immediately pull out their phones in search of information. Until now, they tried to find out what had happened or when the next train would depart using official Renfe or Adif apps, and even social media platforms like X. Often without success. But for the past three weeks, they've had another option that, according to all users surveyed, "works better" than the official ones. A 27-year-old from Segur de Calafell has created a new app that details, in real time, all the delays on the Catalan rail network and the new service times. Transport me has achieved more than 17,000 downloads in less than a month. In addition, more than 4,100 people visit its web version weekly.

New morning of Complications for people traveling by commuter trainTwo separate incidents, one in Castellbisbal and another at Fabra i Puig station in Barcelona, ​​are disrupting traffic on up to five different lines, the R3, the R4, the R7, the R8, and the R15.

Exactly 45 years ago, the project to widen the R3 line, the commuter rail line that connects L'Hospitalet de Llobregat with Puigcerdà, passing through Vic, was first discussed. Since then, postponements to the widening project have been the headlines. And now it's happening again. The Ministry of Transport and Adif have decided that the work to double the track between Parets and La Garriga, which was scheduled to resume after Sant Joan, will be postponed again for at least three more months, until September. This has been announced by The Vanguard And this has been confirmed to ARA by spokespersons for Adif, the infrastructure manager.

The month of March will be marked in red on this year's calendar as One of the worst months ever experienced on the commuter rail network Catalonia. The overlapping of a multitude of construction projects, the discontent of Renfe workers over the announcement of the transfer, and the usual service incidents that users are well aware of have led to more than 75 significant incidents being recorded last month. That's practically twenty per week. Or, in other words, more than 2.5 significant incidents on average each day, including those officially reported and those that have come to light because users themselves have publicly denounced the disruption to the service.

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.

Another day of labor unrest on the commuter trains. Although the majority union called off the protest, the CGT, SF-I and Alferro workers decided to continue the strike and, as a result, Renfe reported early this morning that trains have been cancelled and there have also been some delays and service disruptions. Early this morning, several users have already complained publicly on social media about the lack of convoys.