The Rodalies crisis has triggered demand for buses as a mobility alternative, and this, in turn, is saturating some points in Barcelona. Fabra i Puig, Gran Via and also the Maria Cristina area, on Diagonal, have been suffering for months from the effects of an avalanche of alternative plans that, added to the interurban bus lines, are overwhelming mobility. Solving the underlying problem requires rethinking the model, building new stations and interchanges; that is, years of constructing new infrastructure. Therefore, while that doesn't happen, Barcelona City Council and the Generalitat have decided to take a first step to try to "ease up," at least, the Diagonal corridor.

In the last five years alone, demand at Estació del Nord in Barcelona has grown by 50%. And data suggests the trend will continue to rise: the City Council estimates that demand will increase by another 30% by 2030. This was explained by the Deputy Mayor and Councilor for Urbanism and Mobility, Laia Bonet, during the presentation of the renovation of this historic station in the Catalan capital, which hosts buses for international routes, between Catalonia and the rest of Spain, as well as intercity and private services.

Change of direction in the process to modernize the more than 800 intercity bus lines in Catalonia. As ARA has learned, the Government is reportedly working to extend the concessions again with the same operators and thus maintain a system that has been running for more than two decades with expired contracts. The fact is that the current licenses – already extended in 2003 for another 25 years – expire very soon, in 2028, and everything indicates that the Department of Territory is now studying a new extension, which could last for another decade. Industry sources consider the technical agreement a done deal and point out that only political approval is needed, expected in the coming weeks.