Too old and without emergency exits: the Garraf railway tunnel is denounced for its unsafe operation.

Barcelona"If a passenger train catches fire inside this tunnel, there's no way to quickly rescue anyone." This is the emphatic statement made by Ana Gómez, spokesperson for the user platform Dignity on the Tracks, which for several months has been raising the issue of safety inside the Garraf railway tunnels, through which hundreds of passenger trains pass every day. The platform asserts that the infrastructure—essential for the circulation of the entire southern corridor of Catalonia—is very old and narrow, and lacks sufficient space to allow for a rescue in the event of an incident inside. Union sources also add that the tunnel does not comply with European safety regulations and needs to be renovated. "It has exits to the outside, but not for emergency use," the UGT emphasizes.

The events corroborate the warning issued by both users and worker representatives. This isn't the first time a train has been trapped inside this mountain, and rescue efforts have highlighted many of the problems. The most recent incident occurred on June 6, when a train became trapped with around 100 passengers on board. The evacuation required the help of police and firefighters. The passengers were trapped and cut off from the outside world for at least 30 minutes, and one of them even suffered an anxiety attack that the rest of the passengers had to be treated for. When rescue teams arrived, the passengers had no choice but to escape on foot, walk through the narrow passage between the train and the tunnel wall and finally along the tracks, and carry bags and suitcases to the nearest station.

For Dignity on the Roads, this last case is "just a warning of what can happen" at a time, they point out, when the infrastructure fails a lot "and The trains are also causing a lot of problems"What would happen if one day there was a fire on a train?" Gómez reflects. "The tunnels are safe to pass through; in fact, trains pass through them every day. That is to say, stones don't fall from the walls; But what happens if there's a major problem with a train stopped inside the tunnel?" she insists. In this case, Gómez herself responds, "the space between the train and the wall practically leaves no room for passage." "If you manage to get out of the convoy, you're literally walking right up against the train," she emphasizes. simulation on the ground and have already asked the Generalitat and Adif to carry them out. When this newspaper asked, the Territory department only wanted to contribute that the Cercanías plan foresees improvements in this section of the Garraf, although it has not specified dates, because the infrastructure was built long before the safety regulations, which cannot be retroactive. tunnel. Adif also mentions that between 2018 and 2020 some changes were already made to repair structural elements such as pillars, beams and roof slabs and advances that, currently, "the construction of a new tunnel is planned." The project is still in the drafting phase.

The section between Castelldefels and Sitges was opened more than a century ago, in 1881, and posed a major challenge due to the terrain. "Luckily, the tunnel has interior sections and others that open to the outside, due to the characteristics of the mountain, but these are not emergency exits. If a major evacuation had to be carried out at one of these points, the teams would have to go down from the road, which is above, or the passengers would have to go up the mountain," said Renfe's UGT in Catalonia.

The problem has been detected for years and all administrations are aware of it. There are even projects approved by Adif published in Official State Gazette (Official State Gazette) to correct them. A year ago, the construction project to update this network with the construction of a new parallel tunnel to cover the more than 9 kilometers of old Garraf track was made public. However, neither the cost nor the schedule for starting work are recorded.

Cárdenas doesn't understand why "no one is doing anything." "We're talking about a major project," explains this union member and train driver, "that they say will officially last 4 years, but it could easily be extended to 6. It takes time and money, but it has to be done because we've been violating the safety exit regulations for years," insists Cárdenas, who assures that the workers' representatives have presented this situation to Territorio, Silvia Paneque.

As Dignity on the Tracks, the UGT agrees that the best option would be to first build a new tunnel through which trains can pass and then make the necessary changes to the old ones. "If the third rail were also extended to Sitges, a lot of road would be gained for overtaking and crossings: it would be a huge improvement," adds Cárdenas.

Thus, while the works are not scheduled—another major pending improvement project on the Catalan rail network—the Dignity on the Tracks platform is demanding a Plan B to ensure safeguards in the event of an accident. "We have asked for drills to be carried out and also for the current safety protocols to be provided to us, and so far we have received no response," explains Gómez. "We believe there should be a coordinated plan, also with the Fire Department, so that they have specific training in rail accidents of this type," he concludes.