Commuter Rail resurrects elevators: maintenance leaves "neglect"

BarcelonaBeyond the traffic problems inherent in the railway network, last year it became clear that moving on foot, with reduced mobility, a stroller, or a wheelchair through Rodalies stations was often an insurmountable obstacle course. In March 2025, more than half of the elevators (52%) and almost half of the escalators at Rodalies stations were not working. "The situation was absolutely unsustainable, undesirable, and inadmissible," assures the Minister of Territory, Sílvia Paneque. According to the Government, Renfe, and Adif, this situation of "neglect" has now been reversed.

The latest data released, last June, indicate that in the last year the availability of escalators in stations has gone from 65.6% to 95.31%. In the case of elevators, the jump has been slightly smaller, from 66.8% to 85.46% of units in operation. The plot twist comes a year and a half after the change in the company responsible for their maintenance.

In February 2025, the company TKE Elevadores Espanya SLU (formerly Thyssenkrupp Elevator) took over the new contract, replacing Schindler, which had been in charge in previous years and had accumulated repeated complaints, incidents, and delays in resolving breakdowns. Renfe had even formally conveyed its displeasure due to their lack of response and planning, as they had left the facilities in a state of evident degradation.

A highly targeted business change

"We were very negatively surprised to see that the maintenance of the stairs and elevators was very low. From the department we interpreted that it had not been adequate," assures Paneque. For this reason, continues the minister, at the time of the new award, the ministry met with the new company to set priorities. "This had to be reversed as soon as possible," underlines Paneque, who considers that now the data are "acceptable" although they will continue to ask for better results "until reaching 97%", a figure that he already considers "excellent". The new contract is defined for four years and 8.4 million euros.

This improvement has become the first step of the shock plan that, according to the ministry, the new mixed company Rodalies de Catalunya, directed by Òscar Playà, wants to implement. The Government emphasizes that improving accessibility and user experience is a way to start "dignifying" the service and for passengers to start seeing changes, especially after'an "horribilis" year for the railway network, marked by the fatal accident in Gelida, the destruction of infrastructure by Storm Harry – which suffer from an endemic lack of investment – and more recently, even, by the sinkhole in the Montcada works which disrupted the circulation of up to three lines at the end of July.

According to the department, the new contractor has had to carry out "major maintenance" throughout the past year to put in order elements that had required a much longer shutdown than expected due to a lack of previous care.