The Government urges to define at least six bus stations in Barcelona to assume all demand

BarcelonaThe Secretary of Mobility and Infrastructures of the Generalitat, Manel Nadal, admitted today that Barcelona needs "at least five or six bus stations and interchanges" to cope with the strong demand the sector has experienced in recent years, and more especially since January, when the Rodalies crisis broke out. He said this at an event organized by the sector's employers' association, Fecav, which this Tuesday presented – together with the Terminus Transport Studies Centre – the book L'autobús i l'autocar a Catalunya, the first publication to cover the entire history of the sector, written by expert Joan Carles Salmerón. At the event, the Secretary of Mobility addressed the assembled entrepreneurs, to whom he also set homework.

Nadal assured that "the bus sector has become an essential part of transport" in Catalonia and said that buses should no longer be complementary to trains, but rather "should be able to compete with them". For this reason, Nadal pointed out that the model and also the stations need to be "rethought". "The employers' association, the Barcelona City Council and the Generalitat must work together," said Nadal.

Among the points the Government considers strategic are the new station planned for Plaça Espanya to ease traffic flow from the south corridor, the new bus station in La Sagrera – currently under construction – and improving the Nord and Fabra i Puig stations, which are already operating at their capacity limits. Furthermore, he also warned of the need to maintain the Sants bus station, even though the current station renovation project does not include it, and to define a new station on Diagonal Avenue. Despite this point, Nadal once again did not wish to specify exactly where it would be located, one of the most controversial aspects of this new infrastructure. There are two possibilities on the table: in the university area, at the entrance to the city, or more centrally, in Plaça Francesc Macià, to connect with the future L8 of FGC.

Duties for the sector

"We are saving mobility in Catalonia", said the president of the employers' association, José Maria Chavarría, who boasted about the work that bus companies are doing to reinforce lines and bring buses from other parts of the State "so as not to leave any passenger at the stops". Demand has doubled in just five years, from 50 million journeys in 2021 "to almost 100 million expected in 2026", said Chavarría.

In this regard, Nadal thanked them for their effort but also gave them homework. The secretary argued that to meet all the growing demand – which will continue to increase with the forecast of works on Rodalies – it will be necessary to "expand fleets" in a "more modern" way. "Of the 1,500 intercity buses, no more than 30 are electric – he pointed out to them – and, therefore, there is extraordinary work to be done in decarbonizing the fleet", he insisted.

Concessions, the underlying fight

The exchange of arguments between the Government and the bus employers' association arrives at a key moment for the sector. In 2028, the concessions, which have been extended for 25 years, will end, and the Generalitat still has to decide what it will do: whether to hold new tenders to update the model or to extend them again. The Catalan Competition Authority (ACCO) has repeatedly recommended that these concessions not be extended again and that competition be encouraged to improve services, prices, and sustainability. But the sector has been pushing for years to maintain them.update the model or if it will extend them again. The Catalan Competition Authority (ACCO) has repeatedly recommended that these concessions not be extended again and that competition be encouraged to improve services, prices, and sustainability. But the sector has been pushing for years to maintain them.

This Tuesday, the word concessions did not appear at any point at the event that brought together the entire sector, and at the same time, it was the first time that the good harmony between the Government and the companies was evident.