Minister of Territory Sílvia Paneque has said the Rodalies de Catalunya commuter rail network responded "reasonably well" to recent heavy rainfall, with service restoration significantly faster than after the Harry storm in January 2026.
Paneque made the remarks during a review of the storm’s impact, coinciding with the resumption of service on the R11 line, one of the most disrupted routes in recent days. While acknowledging the system's performance "has not been excellent", she stressed that infrastructure held up better than during the January incident, which led to the death of a train driver in Gelida.
Not only was the recovery much faster, but all infrastructure elements, trenches, and embankments responded well.
She attributed the improved response to €140 million in post-Harry storm investments to strengthen embankments and trenches. Unlike the January storm, which was more geographically concentrated, this week’s rains affected the entire region more widely.
"The system responded better and the resumption was much faster," Paneque said, noting that while the government aims to restore services within 24 hours of such events, the intensity of the rainfall posed significant challenges.
Continued Use of Alternative Transport
Regarding the R11 line, Paneque confirmed that alternative bus services will remain in place after service resumption to ensure reliability. "We learned some lessons from Gelida, and one of them was to maintain alternative systems for a few days until we were all sure that the system was running with full reliability," she said.
R1 Transfer Expected This Autumn
On the transfer of the R1 line to Generalitat management, Paneque confirmed the process is still pending but expects finalisation by autumn 2026. A bilateral meeting between the Spanish government and the Generalitat is expected to take place in October to formalise the agreement.
"We hope it won’t go beyond this month of October," she said, noting that the meeting should serve to "certify or agree" on the transfer. The R1 segment from Bifurcació-Sagrera to Maçanet-Massanes is included in the transfer, while the future Sagrera station will remain under Adif ownership.
Paneque also highlighted ongoing efforts under the Rodalies improvement plan, including accessibility upgrades, real-time information systems, and station investments, noting a high degree of commitment delivery despite ongoing reliability challenges.
Primary sources: Semprún Wilde África Marta, renfe.com, rodalies.gencat.cat, lamoncloa.gob.es. Reported by liniaxarxa.cat, capgros.elnacional.cat, diaricatalunya.cat, lavanguardia.com, catalan.news, elperiodico.com, europapress.es, Línia Xarxa.
