Lorraine Williamson
Commuters in Catalonia began Monday with another familiar message: Rodalies is still not back to normal. Several sections remain covered by replacement buses, and the network is running under restrictions while emergency work continues on the infrastructure.
For passengers, the frustration is not simply the delays. It’s the unpredictability. Services can look “fine” on paper, then unravel quickly once you reach a station platform.
A network running with gaps
According to reporting on Monday morning, Rodalies is operating with problems across around ten sections, with bus substitutions still required on multiple routes.
Among the impacts highlighted:
The R1 runs by train only to Blanes, with buses used beyond that point.
The R3 remains closed to rail traffic, with the full route covered by road transport.
The R4 continues to suffer major cuts, particularly on the stretch linked to the wider disruption that began after the fatal incident in Gelida.
Renfe says it has deployed more than 150 buses to keep mobility going where trains cannot run.
Why this is still happening
The latest disruption sits on top of a longer-running crisis sparked by the Gelida crash and compounded by heavy rain and infrastructure vulnerabilities. Adif is carrying out urgent work across 31 points on the network, including stabilising slopes and repairing sections considered unsafe.
Even where trains are running, some restrictions slow the network down. One national report notes speed limits across numerous stretches, adding delay even on “open” lines.
No firm end-date, despite political pressure
The Catalan government had hoped Monday would mark a clearer return to normality. Renfe’s position is that mobility is guaranteed — by rail or road — but it has not offered a definitive timetable for full restoration.
For regular users, that uncertainty is becoming part of the routine.
What travellers can do today
If you’re using Rodalies on Monday, build in extra time and assume at least one transfer could be required. The biggest pinch points remain where buses replace trains, because journey times become harder to predict once road traffic is involved.
The bigger picture
Rodalies has long been a political issue in Catalonia, but this latest stretch has sharpened the stakes. When a commuter network becomes unreliable for weeks, it stops being a transport story and turns into a daily-life story — missed shifts, school runs, medical appointments and a growing sense that “normal” is something you plan around rather than expect.
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