Rodalies, Catalonia’s commuter rail network, has restored R3 train services between La Garriga and Puigcerdà after an incident involving cable theft, with normal frequencies due to return progressively. However, passengers travelling from Barcelona-Fabra i Puig towards Puigcerdà or La Tor de Querol must still use the alternative road service.

The continuing bus replacement means R3 passengers should check their journey times before setting out. Motorists entering Barcelona also faced long delays on Thursday morning, including 8.5 kilometres of queues on the southbound Ronda de Dalt, the B-20 ring road, towards Nus de la Trinitat.

Traffic built ahead of Friday, 11 September, the Diada public holiday in Catalonia, when large numbers of vehicles are expected to leave Barcelona for the long weekend.

R3 replacement buses remain in operation

Rodalies said the road replacement service introduced in August between Barcelona-Fabra i Puig and Puigcerdà/La Tor de Querol will remain in place despite the restoration of trains on the affected section.

The official R3 service notice sets out the rail and road arrangements. The published replacement-bus timetable warns that journey times are subject to road traffic conditions.

Queues on main routes into Barcelona

Drivers faced congestion on several routes towards the city on Thursday morning:

  • A-2: five kilometres of queues between Cornellà de Llobregat and Sant Feliu de Llobregat towards Barcelona.
  • B-23: 5.5 kilometres of congestion between Barcelona and Sant Feliu de Llobregat towards Barcelona, plus 2.5 kilometres of slow traffic from Sant Feliu de Llobregat to Molins de Rei in the southbound direction.
  • C-58: four kilometres of queues between Sabadell and Barcelona southbound, and 2.5 kilometres between Barcelona and Montcada i Reixac southbound.
  • Ronda de Dalt: 8.5 kilometres of queues southbound between Barcelona and Nus de la Trinitat.
  • AP-7: seven kilometres of congestion from Barberà del Vallès to Mollet del Vallès towards Martorell.

The Vallvidrera funicular on the FGC Barcelona-Vallès line was also out of service, with the operator providing an alternative road service. Commuters using the R3 should consult the official timetable before travelling, while drivers can avoid the listed approaches where possible and check live conditions before leaving.

Primary sources: rodalies.gencat.cat, ANABEL AREVALO GARCIA, renfe.com. Reported by elperiodico.com, es.ara.cat, elpais.com, lavanguardia.com, metropoliabierta.cat, El Periódico Barcelona.