Two new failures in Adif's control system further disrupt commuter rail service

BarcelonaLast week they assured everyone it wouldn't happen again, but it has. Adif's Centralized Traffic Center, the computer system that manages the movement of all commuter trains in Catalonia—located at França station—failed again this Tuesday morning, twice in quick succession, at 7:00 and 8:00 a.m., right in the middle of rush hour. They were two brief outages, about five minutes each, but enough to bring confusion and chaos back to the platforms and inside the trains.

By midday, the infrastructure manager had still not given an official explanation for what happened this time. In an attempt to clarify the situation, the commissioner for the transfer of the commuter rail service, Pere Macias, explained that the second outage was "very brief" and that it was "simply a readjustment" resulting from the first. Later that afternoon, during his appearance before Congress regarding the rail chaos, Transport Minister Oscar Puente stated that he trusts "that the company providing the software "We'll get explanations in the next few hours." "It's a new system, only three months old," the minister insisted.

Just like last week, as soon as the CTC fell Trains have stopped throughout Catalonia. This is the automatic response of the trains, which, without a central control system, activate safety measures and halt. "The CTC (Centralized Traffic Control) is the equivalent of an airport control tower," explains Juan Carlos Salmerón, director of the Términus Center for Transport Studies. "It's the place from which the movements of all conventional trains in Catalonia are controlled and monitored; while high-speed trains are controlled from a different center, located in Zaragoza," the expert details.

"This situation must be resolved," demanded the Minister of Territory, Sílvia Paneque. "It can't go on any longer. It has to end. We found the commuter rail network in a deplorable state, much worse than we had imagined," she said. The minister, who no longer dares to give any further dates for the resumption of normal service, simply called for "progress in stabilizing" the network. Last week, Adif claimed the problem was due to a software update, as the system was being renewed. But the truth is that the CTC blackouts are not isolated incidents or solely linked to the current crisis: another blackout in 2022 The system failure left Catalonia without trains for several hours and in 2015 another ruling It caused similar chaos. There have been more incidents, and in every case, Adif assured that the problems had been resolved and that the failure would not be repeated.

Salmerón explained that the communication breakdown also stems from the fact that Adif centralizes train mobility, but "the stations, public address systems, and information screens are controlled by Renfe's control center." These are two separate control centers that must communicate with each other when there is a software failure, which "causes information to arrive with a certain delay," he says.

Confusion among users on another chaotic morning on the Cercanías commuter rail network

Following two failures at Adif's centralized traffic control center, service users have continued to experience confusion and uncertainty, especially given the delays on many lines. At Sants station, Alba Alonso, who traveled from Segur de Calafell, explained that she was an hour late. "It's supposed to be a 55-minute journey, and even though I've been at the station since 8:00 a.m., I'm late for a doctor's appointment at 9:30," Alonso said, adding that it's a "daily problem." Other users reported being stranded at Sants station. This was the case for Verònica Parellada, from Sitges, who wanted to get to Passeig de Gràcia but couldn't. "Although I wasn't that late, when I got to Sants I had to get off because the train wasn't moving," Parellada recounted. Catherine Zurcher, also from Sitges, experienced a similar situation, adding that although she is a regular commuter rail user, she has been avoiding it: "Lately, I've been taking the buses more as a precaution." Dulce María Carbajal, who was looking for a way to get to Reus, also opted for this solution. "Yesterday, when I was returning to Barcelona, ​​the train left me stranded at El Prat because it wasn't going any further, and I had to find alternatives to get to the city," Carbajal explained. If the train service doesn't allow her to travel to Reus, she pointed out that the solution is to take the bus to Tarragona. "It's regrettable. Maintaining the service has been a mistake, and now we are living with the consequences," Carbajal concluded. There are still 11 lines with problems

Far from returning to the promised normality by Monday, 11 lines are still experiencing disruptions this Tuesday and are therefore being served by bus. These lines are R1, RG1, R3, R4, RL4, R7, R8, R13, R14, R15, and RT1. In contrast, the R2 North, R2 South, R11, R16, and R17 are operating on all sections.

Thus, while Adif workers are working to resolve all the problems plaguing the network, Renfe is trying to provide alternative transportation options, either by train or road, with its alternative plans, explained the operator's spokesperson, Antonio Carmona. "That is the tangible reality," he said early this morning. The only improvement compared to last weekend is that, as of yesterday, Monday, train service has been restored on the section of the R11 line between Figueres and Portbou.

Regarding the sections where train speeds remain limited – 179 sections that imply speed restrictions across 130 kilometers of the rail network – Carmona argued yesterday that "the traffic safety system is very robust." In this respect, he pointed out that "the moment a train driver detects any potential anomaly, a temporary speed restriction must be established," and until an Adif technician checks the condition of that point and, if necessary, resolves the issue, the train cannot return to its normal speed.