Gelida, one month later: how is the commuter rail service?

This Friday marks one month since the tragic Gelida train accident On the night of Tuesday, January 20, 2026, a commuter train derailed near Gelida, on the R4 line between Martorell and Sant Sadurní d'Anoia. The accident resulted in the death of a young trainee driver and left five people seriously injured after a retaining wall collapsed onto the tracks. The accident caused a complete shutdown of the line and affected hundreds of passengers, highlighting the fragility of a railway infrastructure marked by decades of underinvestment and an aging train fleet.

In the days following this accident, The commuter rail service experienced a series of incidents. and disruptions, with new landslides and hundreds of sections where urgent inspections were detected before any other trains could run. All of this led to successive postponements of a planned return to normal service prior to the fatal accident. In several sections of the network, an alternative bus service had to be implemented to cover regular routes, an alternative that was overwhelmed by high passenger demand, which overwhelmed the lines. To make matters worse, two consecutive breakdowns occurred at Adif's control center (Centralized Traffic Center or CTC), located at Barcelona's França station, causing a complete service interruption.

How is the service one month later?

Since then, the commuter rail service has been gradually restoring service, though it is still far from operating normally. The Minister of Territory, Silvia Paneque, described the ongoing problems with the service on Thursday as "isolated deficiencies" and admitted that they will not be resolved immediately. In an interview on Catalonia RadioIt has been acknowledged that the network has suffered from a structural deficit for many years.

The most affected lines continue to be those on the southern corridor, especially between Martorell and Sant Vicenç de Calders, where alternative road services still operate on specific sections. For example, between Gelida and Sant Sadurní d'Anoia and between Vilanova i la Geltrú and Calafell. These replacement services operate with frequencies of between 30 and 60 minutes depending on the section and are particularly active during peak hours, with constant warnings about possible delays and the need for coordination with the alternative busesOther sections of the same corridor may also maintain speed restrictions or train-bus combinations according to their maintenance schedules.

The remaining lines are operating with relative normality, but with increased staffing, speed control, and active maintenance monitoring, and continue to adhere to the safety measures established after the accident. According to the latest official forecasts, the full return to normal operations is gradual, and it is expected that many of the currently restricted sections will eventually operate exclusively with trains as improvement and repair plans are completed, although there is no single date set for the complete normalization of the entire network.

Line by line

Regarding the details by line, Renfe confirms that the R2 (both South and North) is operating its full route. The R1 is running normally between Hospitalet de Llobregat and Blanes, with two trains per hour in each direction, but on the section between Blanes and Maçanet-Massanes, there is a shuttle train every hour and a half and a supplementary bus service. However, the R3 remains out of service: between L'Hospitalet and Fabra i Puig, the R4 train can be used; between Fabra i Puig and La Garriga/Centelles and Vic, a bus service is operating due to the roadworks between Parets and La Garriga, while between Centelles and Vic and Puigcerdà, it is necessary to use the alternative bus service with intermediate stops.

The R4 line is operating its usual route between Sant Vicenç de Calders and Sant Sadurní d'Anoia, and between Martorell Central and Terrassa-Estació del Nord. However, between Sant Sadurní and Martorell Central, there is a bus every half hour, and between Terrassa and Manresa, there is a shuttle train service every hour or bus service. Currently, the R7 line is not running – it will not be reactivated until May – and Renfe reminds passengers that the R4 can be used to travel between Fabra i Puig and Cerdanyola del Vallès, and a bus service can be used between Cerdanyola and the UAB campus. The R8 line is also not in service: buses are available between Martorell Central and Granollers Centre, and the R2 Nord line is recommended between Mollet-Sant Fos and Granollers Centre.

In the short term, the lines are expected to gradually return to normal operations, maintaining alternative services when necessary and reinforcing real-time information for users. According to Councilor Sílvia Paneque, the improvement will be gradual, and coordination and constant investment will have to allow for a sustained evolution of the service, although experts warn that the accumulated disinvestment cannot be fully overcome until at least 2030. Regarding regional services, Renfe guarantees R14, R16, and R17. However, R15 only operates between Barcelona and Reus: between Reus and Ribarroja d'Ebre, alternative buses must be used. In Girona, RG1 operates between Maçanet-Massanes and Portbou, while lines RT1 and RT2 in Tarragona and RL3 in Lleida operate along their entire routes. Finally, the RL4 line is operating normally between Lleida Pirineus and Cervera stations and between Calaf and Manresa, but an alternative service (road bus) is required between Cervera and Calaf.

The Commuter Rail Plan for the next five years

Paneque acknowledged that the service has experienced a "perverse normality" for years due to sustained neglect and a lack of renewal, and admitted that the service still "operates with deficiencies" that are not being resolved immediately. She defended the government's actions in response to a serious structural situation and called for self-criticism and a national pact. Regarding investment, the regional minister emphasized the current [funding/funding/etc.]. Commuter Rail Plan 2020-2030Commuter rail will receive €4.386 billion over the next four years, following the additional €1.7 billion announced by the Secretary of State for Transport, José Antonio Santano, bringing the total investment for this decade to €8 billion. This funding will be used to improve infrastructure reliability and expand capacity, including the addition of 53 new trains, digitalization, and track improvements—a 26% increase compared to the previous plan. The Commuter Rail Plan 2026-2030 stipulates that on the busiest lines—R1, R2, and R4—all trains will be double-unit, with the aim of better meeting the growing demand.