Severe storms disrupted seven Rodalies commuter rail lines across Catalunya on Thursday, 6 August, with services suspended or altered after flooding, fallen trees and other weather-related damage. Commuters using the R3, R11 and RL4 were among those affected, with replacement road transport operating on several routes.

Protecció Civil, Catalunya's civil protection service, placed its Ferrocat rail emergency plan on pre-alert by late afternoon. The affected lines were the R1, R2 Nord, R3, R11, RG1, R13 and R14.

Replacement transport for R3 and R11 passengers

The R3 was closed between Vic and Ripoll after trees fell onto the railway infrastructure. Adif, the state rail infrastructure manager, arranged alternative road transport, while buses continued to run between Fabra i Puig and La Garriga, Centelles and Vic.

The R11 between Maçanet and Girona was also badly affected. Renfe provided replacement buses to Figueres and made seats available on Avant services between Girona and Barcelona in both directions.

  • The RL4 was cut between Calaf and Manresa after a swollen stream made the track impassable.
  • The N-145 near the Andorra border was closed because of a rock-and-mud landslide.
  • One lane was closed on the C-63 at Brunyola and on the C-25 at Rajadell because of standing water.

Heavy rain and hail trigger emergency response

Rainfall reached 71 litres per square metre in Isòvol, in Cerdanya, by early evening. Fals, in Bages, recorded 62 litres per square metre, while Sant Salvador de Guardiola recorded 58 litres.

Meteocat, the Catalan Meteorological Service, warned that the storms would move south overnight and issued violent-weather alerts for Alt Camp, Conca de Barberà, Garrigues, Pla d'Urgell, Segrià and Urgell.

Hailstones exceeding 4cm in diameter were reported in Sant Joan les Fonts, where streets were covered in hail and farmers reported damage. The storms also affected Vallès Oriental, Bages and Selva, the areas receiving the highest number of emergency calls.

By 8pm, emergency services had received 300 calls and attended 115 incidents, mainly involving flooded basements, blocked drains, fallen branches and work to secure public infrastructure.

Salvador Illa, president of the Generalitat, urged residents to take maximum care when travelling, avoid rivers and flood-prone areas, and not park where flooding is possible. The Inuncat flood-risk emergency plan remained active.

Reported by Source Text Link, RUSSPAIN.com, europapress.es, lasexta.com.