A collapse at the Rodalies works in Montcada swallows a crane and cuts off the circulation of three lines

BarcelonaA sinkhole in the connection shaft of the R2 track-laying works at the border between Barcelona and Montcada i Reixac, swallowed a large crane and more heavy machinery this Tuesday at noon, but caused no injuries. Sources from Adif explained to ARA that no personal injuries were registered as a consequence of the incident, but the sinkhole did force the R2 track-laying works at the border between Barcelona and Montcada i Reixac, swallowed a large crane and more heavy machinery this Tuesday at noon, but caused no injuries. Sources from Adif explained to ARA that no personal injuries were registered as a consequence of the incident, but the sinkhole did force the preventive and indefinite suspension of rail traffic between Montcada i Reixac and Sant Andreu affecting the R2 and R2 Nord Rodalies lines and the Barcelona-Figueres-Portbou medium-distance lines.

According to the infrastructure manager, one of the walls of a work shaft, i.e., the reinforced structure through which workers enter the subsoil, extract material, and also pass machinery to work, has partially given way. At present, Adif technicians are evaluating the extent of the incident and the stability of the ground. The deputy director of Adif constructions in charge of the works, Arturo Pastor, explained that they still do not know the causes or the size of the hole. "We haven't approached it yet, we are monitoring it. Now what we will do is a campaign to inform the neighbors, establish control [of the sinkhole] with concrete and fill the cavity," he said.

Regarding possible effects on the apartment blocks closest to the works, Pastor ruled it out. "Nothing suggests that there is anything strange, the homes are undamaged, otherwise we would have acted differently," assured the Adif official, who also admitted that there is still "no hypothesis" about what might have happened underground.

For their part, the head of the guard of the Barcelona Fire Department who directed the firefighters' operation, Clara Torre, explained that upon arrival the teams carried out a reconnaissance of the area and assessed the safety of the surroundings. "We have suggested, and we are aware that it is being done, that the entire area and surrounding elements be monitored. In the coming days, we will receive reports every 24 hours from the auscultations and if we detect anything, we will come to carry out checks," detailed Torre, who clarified that "for the moment" no anomaly has been detected in the records made so far.

Despite the messages of calm, the residents are currently living with uncertainty. Adam, a resident of the building closest to the accident, explains to ARA that he has cracks in his home, that a lot of dust enters daily, and that, in the middle of a heatwave, they cannot even open the windows due to the dirt that enters.

Other witnesses explain that a loud noise alerted the people who were there, causing everyone to leave the area moments before the collapse. For others, the rumbling went unnoticed: "I did hear a noise like falling earth, but there's always a lot of noise, with all the hydraulic hammers," admits Adam.

"They told us they would be pumping cement for between 8 and 10 hours"

La Zaida Palet, a resident of the Vallbona neighborhood (Nou Barris) where the incident occurred, explains to ARA that the technicians told them that "it will now take between 8 and 10 hours to pump cement". "It's just another one in the neighborhood — laments this resident—. Here we don't have any Adif information office, like they do in Montcada, we have to get information every six months at the neighborhood council," she continues. Now she worries if this earth movement will further delay schedules and extend the works. "We were already 14 months behind, dirt, sand and cement at home, the neighborhood muddy, dirty sidewalks and facades... We have complained to the district to come and clean, but nothing," laments Palet, who assures that there is also noise "until late at night" and many days they are left without public transport: "We can't use our car either because it's all full of trucks either," she maintains.

For the moment, the landslip also affects Rodalies users. Specifically, the trains on line R2 and R2 Nord of Rodalies, between the airport and Maçanet, and the medium-distance trains Barcelona-Figueres-Portbou, which start and end their journey at Granollers Centre station. The head of Adif's works has explained that it is still "too early to know how long the impact of this incident on Rodalies will last".

A bittersweet works report

This is not the first incident recorded in the works to bury the tracks in Montcada. After 30 years of failed attempts, these long-awaited works finally began in January 2024. At that time, the commencement of the burial generated a feeling of joy and skepticism among the residents of Montcada, who had been waiting for decades for the scar that divides the municipality to be healed and buried. During this time, almost 180 people have lost their lives at the different level crossings that cross the city.

The first year's assessment of the works, moreover, left a bittersweet taste. In February 2025, the Montcada City Council reported that significant cracks had appeared in some apartments in up to three different buildings in the Can Sant Joan neighborhood, close to the works at that time. They were cracks in the ceiling, floor, and walls, which in some cases even allowed a view of the street or adjacent neighbors.

In its statement, the municipal government stated that, without a doubt, the damage was "a consequence of the work being done to reinforce and stabilize the land in the area" and, therefore, was caused by the burial works. All of this led to the works at this point in the city being halted until the entire area was reviewed and secured. At other points along the route, the works maintained their schedule.