BarcelonaPatience will be the best ally for users of the R3 commuter trains in the next 16 months, the deadline that Renfe and Adif have set for completing the infrastructure improvement works and the extension of the last remaining single-track line. The works, budgeted at 210 million euros, will cause inconveniences due to service interruptions and the need to combine trains and buses to cover the section between L'Hospitalet de Llobregat and Puigcerdà and the Tor de Querol. The impact will begin on Saturday, October 4, and will continue, if all goes well and the planned schedule is met, until January 2027. To prevent the journeys from becoming even more of a daily nightmare for the more than 20,000 affected commuters, buses will be running to cover the cancelled sections, and also...
October 4-5
The first weekend of October will begin with road closures along the R3 line through Vic so that workers can move the existing tracks a few meters further so the machines can begin the major works planned to continue the extension of Track 3. This move was already made on the R4 line to build the new Sant Feliu de Llobregat station. During these two days, October 4 and 5, service between Vic and Balenyà will be interrupted, but passengers will be able to make the journey aboard one of the 10 buses that, according to Renfe, will offer 15,000 seats.
October 7 - January 2027
Due to logistical issues and to avoid clashing with other works, the track duplication work between La Garriga and Parets will begin on October 7, a few days later than planned, and will be extended by 16 months, according to the schedule presented by Renfe and Adif.
In the first phase, rail traffic will be cut between the Montcada Bifurcació and La Garriga stations, which will remain on a siding until May 2026. The alternative for covering this route will once again be buses. After several back-and-forths with the alternative plan, finally, and as was done with the previous closure, buses will stop at La Sagrera for direct trips to La Garriga, Centelles, and Vic, on the one hand, and on the other, there will also be vehicles that make all the stops along the route following the train line, as has been done. In total, 58 buses will operate daily, far from the more than 100 initially planned. Renfe assures that a total of more than 43,000 seats will be offered, which they estimate will be sufficient to serve regular users.
As of November 2, line R7 (Fabra i Puig - UAB) will cease service, and the Cercanías (local rail) advises passengers to change to the R4 at Cerdanyola del Vallès station.
May 2026 - January 2027
Once the Montcada interchange tracks are cleaned, the second phase will begin in May 2026, leaving the section between La Garriga and Mollet Santa Rosa without trains. In that case, the bus service plan will also be maintained.
Precisely to avoid repeating problems encountered with other major works, Renfe plans to require the bus companies that win the public tender (which will be announced on Thursday) to operate empty vehicles between October 3 and 6 to ensure drivers are aware of the risks, thus complicating commuter modal transfers.
September 20-21 and December 6-11
The underground track works near Montcada i Reixac will have two scheduled closures. The first is scheduled for the weekend of September 21 and 22, and the second is scheduled for the December long weekend, between December 6 and 11, to take advantage of the drop in weekday traffic. In both cases, the work will require buses to travel from Sant Andreu to Mollet Sant Fost on the R2 Nord line and from Cerdanyola to UAB on the R7 line.
September 22-28
Outside of the R3 line, Renfe and Cercanías (local rail) also plan to complete construction work on the new Castelldefels station on the R2 line. Although the disruption will only last a week, it coincides with a section where commuters are already experiencing many delays, and further inconveniences will be added in the coming days, as the line will be interrupted between Sitges and Gavà.
During this week, the affected section will be served by road with direct buses and minibuses that will continue along the coastal rail route. Cercanías (local rail) hopes that service frequency can be increased on the sections where trains are maintained, while the regional lines connecting Barcelona, Terres de l'Ebre, and Lleida will also be affected. To avoid traffic jams, commuters will have direct buses at the Zona Franca stop on the Barcelona Metro line 3 line.
The Government has scheduled fortnightly meetings with Renfe and Adif to coordinate the works.
The President of the Generalitat (Catalan Government), Salvador Illa, and the Regional Minister for Territory, Silvia Paneque, met this Tuesday with the management of Renfe and Adif to establish better coordination in the execution of the works. The meeting served to agree on four key areas to improve management and reduce incidents and impact on users, according to Paneque, with biweekly meetings between the different administrations.
First, the Government has announced the creation of a technical office that "will plan and coordinate the entire set of works." The objective is to establish timelines that will help prevent excessive overlapping of projects and avoid over-straining the system. The name of the director and the 10-person team that will comprise this office will be announced in the coming days. A single incident reporting system will also be created between the different administrations, allowing for weekly evaluations. Security will be increased, and a plan will be drawn up to close access to the infrastructure to prevent vandalism.
Finally, the Generalitat (Catalan Government), Renfe (Renfe), and Adif (Adif) have also committed to improving the management of workshop hours, with increased staffing to expedite repairs and maintenance of trains. Overall, the Government hopes to improve coordination and prioritize the impact on passengers and service operations.