A new covert strike by train drivers causes chaos in Rodalies

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

The train driver unions have confirmed to ARA that this morning they did not receive all the safety certificates they requested (the night reports that are made after reviewing the infrastructure) and for that reason, they have 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."

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 driver union saying that they could not guarantee that all trains would depart. I consider that we are facing a labor dispute. We are not facing a safety problem in the infrastructure because yesterday the trains ran 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 company 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 safety regulations," he assured. "And this is not an objective issue, it is protocolized and I want to make that clear," he added, noting that the drivers are demanding—besides the pertinent reports—"additional information" which, in his view, "does not provide a higher guarantee of safety than the current one."

The precedent

This Tuesday night, a hundred travelers were trapped on a Rodalies train after a tree and an embankment fell onto the train 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 (Emergency Medical System) traveled to the scene, along with the Firefighters, to assist the travelers and transfer them to another train, which resumed the journey after 11 PM.

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 obstructed the train's passage.