Eight "easy" projects that the Commuter Rail Plan does not include

BarcelonaThe latest Commuter Rail Plan, the most up-to-date, is almost 300 pages long. It's the document that details all the railway works planned from now until 2030 to improve the Catalan network: it explains what they consist of, specifies their cost, and establishes a timeline. These range from the most ambitious projects, such as the Sagrera station, the doubling of the R3 line, and the undergrounding of the Montcada station, to much smaller, faster, and even cheaper projects that can significantly improve the network's capacity. One of these smaller planned projects is in Tordera. It's classified under the section of "strategic" works programmed to "improve network capacity" and involves building a siding in front of this station, on the section of the R1 line between Blanes and Maçanet-Massanes. "This section is single-track, without sidings, for a length of more than 15 kilometers," the plan notes. "To facilitate the resolution of incidents that may disrupt the normal operation of the line, it is proposed to reinstate the siding and platform formerly in use at Tordera station," the document continues.

The text is clear, and the images of the area leave no room for doubt. Decades ago, this section—which now only has one track—already had another track that provided breathing room for the network and allowed trains to overtake or be moved in case of incidents. This way, trains don't get stuck in a queue if one of them has a problem. Now they propose to restore it. The cost? 2.3 million euros, a very low price in the railway sector. Carrying out the project won't cause any disruption to the network either. The existing space will be used. The project, as Adif confirmed to ARA, is already being drafted.

The other Torderas, forgotten

Thus, despite being a small project, various sources within the sector agree that it is "a good initiative" because it increases the capacity of the R1 line. "It's an easy, quick, and inexpensive project," they point out. The question that arises, then, is this: How many more of the same kind could be built? And why is only the Tordera section planned? The Public Transport Promotion Association (PTP) asserts that there are up to eight other locations in Catalonia, very similar to Tordera, but these are ignored in the Rodalies Plan and, therefore, are sections where no work is planned.

These are the sections of track in Toses, Campdevànol, Bellpuig, San Guim de Freixenet, Aguilar de Segarra, Santa Susanna, La Selva del Camp, and Nulles (see map). According to the PTP (Platform of Railway Workers), the first five are "identical" cases to those in Tordera: decades ago, a second track existed with a crossing made possible by points. "These crossings already existed! But in the 80s and 90s, Adif (Spain's railway infrastructure manager) decided to remove them to save on the maintenance costs of the points and signals," explains the president of the PTP, Adrià Ramírez, who asserts that at that time, cost savings were prioritized over track reliability. In three cases—Santa Susanna, La Selva del Camp, and Nulles—there was no existing crossing point, but the space and characteristics allow for its installation. "These are all what are called critical sections, meaning very long stretches of single track where two trains cannot pass at the same time, thus creating bottlenecks," explains Ramírez. "When a train enters this section of track, it prevents any other train from passing, and obviously, when one is delayed, it affects everything else," he continues. "For just over 20 million euros in total, the network's capacity could be greatly improved at all these points where there is currently only one track," summarizes Ramírez, who maintains that it is "incomprehensible" that the Commuter Rail Plan has "ignored all the other Torderes-like stations in Catalonia." The PTP asserts that it has conveyed all this information "repeatedly" to the Generalitat—the body responsible for the service—but the proposal was not included in the latest update of the Commuter Rail Plan.

In response to questions from this newspaper, the Department of Territory stated that it has informed the Ministry of Transport "that it would be advisable to promote similar actions [to that of Tordera] in Toses and Aguilar de Segarra." According to the Government, these are intermediate points on the R3 and RL4 lines that would allow for improved service. "However, in both cases the frequency of service is much lower than in Tordera, and for this reason, the Ministry does not consider their implementation a priority," argue sources from the Department of Territory, who add that "the incorporation of new track switches and the corresponding sidings could become a potential source of problems, and should only be implemented once fully installed, as in Tordera." However, the same sources indicate that the Department would be in favor of installing them.

In parallel, Territori also states that they have spoken with Adif about the possibility of "analyzing" whether small sections of double-tracking should also be incorporated into the Lleida commuter rail lines (RL3 and RL4), "especially around Bellpuig and Mollerussa, where they could provide significant operational improvements." For its part, Adif maintains that it has not received any formal request to carry out any other crossings like the one in Tordera.

Be that as it may, given the current state of the discussions between the administrations, with no projects on the table—except in the case of Tordera—it does not seem likely that the works on these other eight sections can be completed during the next decade. "We are very surprised, frankly, that these sections are being ignored. It demonstrates a clear bias towards large projects that can be inaugurated and make things look good, and a lack of attention to the projects that would really help a lot with little investment," concludes the president of the PTP.