The R2 Sud service will be disrupted for three months due to construction work starting on Monday.

BarcelonaThe start date for the Garraf tunnel works has been set. The Department of Territory, Renfe, and Adif announced this Monday that the work will begin next Monday, March 16. This fulfills the announcement made a few days ago by the Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, who stated that the works would begin in March. These are maintenance works—the tunnels have suffered damage for years due to corrosion caused by sea air—and are expected to last three months. While the works are underway, the section between Sitges and Garraf stations will operate as a single track, which will require adjustments to the service frequency of the R2 South line. To mitigate the impact of the works on the network, Territory, Renfe, and Adif have presented an alternative transport plan. The document, which incorporates input from local entities, regional platforms, and the Pacte del Penedès Marítim platform, includes dedicated buses that will run between Sitges and Garraf, as well as increased intercity bus service in the area. To minimize disruption to passengers, eight trains per hour in each direction will be maintained from Barcelona to El Prat de Llobregat, six to Castelldefels, four to Garraf, and two to Sant Vicenç de Calders (Baix Penedès), doubling their capacity. Two additional trains are also planned, one in the morning and one at night, to maintain the connection with Barcelona on weekdays (although the journey will be 40 minutes longer due to the detour via Vilafranca). Regarding the Southern Regional services, the Barcelona-El Prat de Llobregat section will operate with its regular train service. The section between El Prat and Sant Vicenç de Calders will be a direct bus service, and the section from Sant Vicenç to Tarragona, Reus, Lleida, Tortosa, and PortAventura will also be by train, as usual.

Increased bus service

Renfe has also established a special bus service between Sant Vicenç de Calders and El Prat de Llobregat for the Southern Regional services. This creates a connection with the regular rail service between El Prat de Llobregat and Barcelona, ​​as well as with the metro and metropolitan buses. The service is further increased by 14,400 new bus seats, thanks to the reinforcement of several lines during peak hours. Examples include the Barcelona-Sitges connection on line e16, which will have 2,280 more seats, and the Barcelona-Vilanova connection on line e15.1, which will gain 2,400. It should also be noted that a new bus service with two trips in each direction will be established to cover the morning rush hour and the return trip in the afternoon, linking Altafulla, Torredembarra, and Barcelona, ​​in response to requests from the affected municipalities.