Guide to surviving in Cercanías

BarcelonaAside from large doses of anger, rage, and resignation, the repeated incidents on the commuter rail service in Catalonia have also led many commuters to develop strategies to survive the experience of taking the train every day to and from work. Below, we list some of the most notable ones:

• The most reliable app. The Adif app is always on the phones of even the most experienced users. It's black, free, and—most importantly—it's the only one that will reliably show you the status of your line in real time. It also shows you when there are delays or incidents. You can even see if the train is between stops via a small ball that moves toward the station you're at. In short, if you have to travel by commuter train, avoid apps.such as Cercanías, Renfe, Google Maps and similar: the most reliable option for getting around is the Adif application. It is also useful Transporta, an app created by a user and provides real-time data, something that the official Cercanías app doesn't do, where the "Real Time" section shows theoretical, but not actual, schedules.
• Which screen do I trust? One of the most common problems faced by Renfe passengers is the lack of coordination between train and station screens. For starters, it's common for the schedule on the official website to be different from the one shown on the station's main screen, and for this screen to often differ from the information displayed on the platform or inside the train itself. Furthermore, at stations with many trains, one train may arrive and the screen may display a different one, or the PA announcements may be misleading. In these cases, both to find out the correct schedule and to avoid boarding the wrong trains, the best thing to do is to use the app.from Adif and, to be completely sure, look at the illuminated sign in front of each train, which (in principle) indicates the correct destination.
• Have X on hand. Another fairly common habit among more experienced passengers is to look up the word Surroundings or the name of your line on X (formerly Twitter). Many users report delays or incidents through this social network, which provides an overview of the service status. When you've lost all hope of knowing where your train is, X also allows you to contact the Cercanías (local railway) directly. You can do this by writing a post.with your detailed situation mentioning the user @rodalies. They often reply. Finally, on X you will also find the official Cercanías channels: there are a generic one (@rodalies) and one for each line. However, you'll only find the major service issues here, and the information is often inaccurate and doesn't mention minor delays or incidents.
• WhatsApp channels. Like user @rodalies of X, the official Cercanías WhatsApp channel only reports the most significant incidents and not the many problems and breakdowns the service encounters every day. However, there are private WhatsApp groups that are very useful. This is the case of the R2 user group, where—among others—passengers who board the train at the first stations on the line notify us whether it has departed, whether it was on time, and whether the train is long or short (a useful detail for users who wait at stations with longer platforms and thus avoid delays).
• The ticket, on the mobile. To avoid having to queue at the ticket machine or encounter technical problems when purchasing a ticket, more and more passengers are carrying their season ticket on their mobile phones. If you only travel by train, you can buy it with the Renfe app (it's a QR code), and if you're using the T-Mobilitat service, you can buy it with the T-Mobility application.
• If you combine the train with the bus. Many users not only use the Cercanías (local trains) but also connect a bus with the train, or vice versa. In these cases, the most useful thing is to follow this entire route. kit Tips for surviving the commuter train, and also keeping the website or app of the bus company you're taking handy. For example, MoventisOn this company's website, there's even the option to find out where your bus is in real time. Once again, resources like Google Maps are ineffective.
• One last note for people with reduced mobility. If the elevator or escalator at your station is broken, contact the station staff so that Renfe can provide you with a solution so you can reach your destination.
• Always carry a book (or a journal!) in your bag. The journey can take longer than expected, and there are still stops where not even 3G coverage is available.

If you're also a regular commuter and want to share your survival tips, we'll be happy to hear from you in the comments!