Delays at Renfe: six copper thefts in ten days at the Estació de França
Mossos will coordinate with Adif to reinforce private security at the most problematic points
BarcelonaAnother morning of railway chaos on the R2 South line. And, once again, the disruptions have to do with a copper theft in the area of the Estació de França in Barcelona: it is the sixth time in just ten days that the same event has occurred, and Adif confirms that it has again sent its technicians to the area to replace all the stolen material.
As a consequence of this new theft, the R2 South commuter line operated for a good part of the morning outside its usual schedule, with fewer trains and significant delays. Furthermore, some convoys had to change their start and end points, ending their journey at Passeig de Gràcia. Adif reported a few minutes after 10 a.m. that the incident had already been resolved, about three hours after it was detected.
Sources in the sector point out that it is not common to have such a large spike in thefts in the same area for so many days in a row. The causes, they indicate, can be diverse: from problems with surveillance or the fences surrounding the infrastructure to the actions of organized mafias. The Mossos d'Esquadra met this morning to address this issue, which mainly affects the areas of the Sant Martí, Sant Andreu, and Ciutat Vella police stations.
The force has detected that there is indeed a significant spike in this type of theft that mainly affects the section between Estació de França and Les Glòries. Police sources explained to ARA that it has been decided to reinforce surveillance at these points in coordination with Adif's security personnel. In addition, forensic police agents will also be deployed to carry out an ocular inspection of the area.
The goal of these new measures is, according to the spokespersons for the Mossos, to improve passive security: that is, to have more deterrent elements, to ensure faster detection of potential new thefts, and to have an immediate response if necessary.
Meanwhile, users have once again expressed their dissatisfaction on social media. The platform Dignitat a les Vies, made up mainly of users of the southern corridor, is asking for explanations from Rodalies de Catalunya, as well as the Department of Territory and Adif—the infrastructure manager—and is demanding that a spokesperson appear to clarify what is happening around the Estació de França.
Another incident complicates the morning on the south corridor
The delays and changes on the R2 South line have been joined, this Wednesday morning, by another incident on the southern corridor, in this case between Garraf and Castelldefels. A problem with a switch in Castelldefels has caused even more delays affecting regional trains, specifically those on lines R13, R14, R15, R16, and R17. This incident was also resolved shortly after 10 a.m., according to information provided by Adif.