The metro will review the weak points of its network in the face of downpours

BarcelonaUntil recently, the main impact that rain had on the Barcelona metro network was the eternal leaks at the Diagonal station on line 3 and the wood shavings used to dry them. In recent weeks, however, the downpours that have fallen on the Catalan capital have caused havoc in underground mobility. The heavy storms on September 16 and 29 dumped more than 100 liters in less than an hour in some parts of the city and forced the closure of stations on practically all metro lines, which left a good part of the city without service. A scenario that has forced TMB and the City Council to start working on measures to deal with storms that will become increasingly frequent.

"We are aware that we have to adapt to new climate circumstances and we are doing so," TMB sources underline to ARA. The same sources explain that they are already working "on defining the necessary measures to minimize damage to the network in case of torrential rain." "We will act on the infrastructure where we have detected water entering," they add, and detail that this will involve reviewing ventilation shafts and reinforcing water pumping stations, among others. Some of these improvements, they say, will be made "immediately."

Also from the Barcelona City Council, they assure that they are analyzing the municipal response and the effects of the recent downpours "in case it is necessary to update the necessary actions to minimize the impact both in public space and on the metro network and the city's infrastructure."

In the case of Tuesday's storm, the accumulation of water meant that for a good part of the afternoon, a large part of the metro network was out of service. There were disruptions on practically all lines, although the most affected were line 5 –between Collblanc and Diagonal–, line 3 –between Liceu and Vall d'Hebron– and line 4 –between Verdaguer and Trinitat Nova–. In some L1 stations, such as Fabra i Puig, water fell in a cascade onto the platform. A scene that had already been experienced on September 16 as well.

The metro has been one of the weak points highlighted by the storms of recent days, but there are more. Both on the 16th and the 29th, the storm also forced the closure of the Ronda de Dalt for hours due to the amount of accumulated water. A scenario similar to that of the B-20, although in this case already at the exit of the Catalan capital towards Santa Coloma de Gramenet.

Once again, the mountain neighborhoods have also suffered the effects of the storm. On Wednesday morning, the residents of Torre Baró and Ciutat Meridiana organized themselves to clean the streets full of mud left by the storm with the aim of restoring bus service as soon as possible and avoiding that some sectors of the area remained isolated for more hours.

Rainwater tanks, at full capacity

On the other hand, Barcelona did manage to avoid other images that until recently were common in the city every time there were torrential rains. Flooding has been minimized on streets such as Avinguda del Paral·lel –until recently, a classic site for floating dumpsters in the city– thanks in large part to the fact that the rainwater tanks have been operating at full capacity, reaching 90% of their capacity.

City Council sources highlight the importance of this infrastructure. Currently, there are 15 operational rainwater tanks in the Catalan capital, which total a nominal volume of 477,020 m³. Furthermore, the city has 29 more new tanks planned, which are expected to increase rainwater retention capacity by more than 1 million cubic meters.