A new covert strike by train drivers causes chaos in Rodalies

BarcelonaA new covert strike on Rodalies, as already happened last winter after the Harry storm, is once again causing chaos on Rodalies this Wednesday. Train drivers are not boarding trains, citing safety concerns following the heavy torrential rains that have fallen these days and, especially, after a tree and an embankment fell onto a train yesterday in Vilafranca, without causing any injuries.

The train drivers' unions have confirmed to ARA that this morning they did not receive all the safety certificates they requested (the night reports made after inspecting the infrastructure) and therefore decided not to start their shifts. The operator, Renfe, explains that "there are trains running but not at 100%, which is why users are recommended to seek alternative means of transport".

The director of Rodalies Catalunya, Òscar Playà, also confirmed just a few minutes ago, in an interview on Catalunya Ràdio, the reasons for the stoppage: "This morning we received a letter from the majority train drivers' union where they said they could not guarantee that all trains would depart. I consider that we are facing a labor conflict. We are not facing a safety problem with the infrastructure because yesterday the trains circulated safely", he stated.

Playà also detailed that the train drivers informed of their position through a statement that the operator received at 1 a.m. "[In the letter] They tell us they want a series of reports, which they already requested yesterday, and other additional reports, which we will send them throughout this morning", explained the director of the new joint venture between the State and the Generalitat, who explained that a part of the reports had already been sent yesterday: "We have complied at all times with the current regulations on safety", he assured. "And this is not an objective issue, it is protocolized and I want to make that clear", he added, noting that the train drivers are demanding—apart from the relevant reports—"additional information" which, in his view, "does not provide a higher guarantee of safety than the current one".

The background

This Tuesday night, a hundred travelers were trapped on a commuter train after a tree and an embankment fell onto the convoy they were traveling in while passing through Vilanova i la Geltrú. It is an area heavily affected by yesterday's rains. The incident, however, did not cause any injuries.

Civil Protection indicated that the SEM (Medical Emergency System) traveled to the scene, along with the Firefighters, to assist the travelers and transfer them to another train, which resumed its journey after 11 p.m. at night.

This incident forced the suspension of traffic on the R2 South, R13, R14, R15, R16, and R17 lines. Once the passengers were evacuated, the Firefighters continued working in the area to remove the tree and the embankment that blocked the convoy's passage.