Reinforced Train Falls Short of Demand
Renfe has introduced an additional morning train on the R8 Rodalies line between Granollers and Cerdanyola-Universitat from Monday to Friday, departing Granollers at 7:21 and arriving at 7:39, to address chronic overcrowding. The move follows pressure from eight municipalities, including Granollers, Mollet del Vallès, and Sant Cugat, which jointly urged Sílvia Paneque, Minister of Territory, Housing, and Ecological Transition, to increase service frequency. Despite this step, students from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) say the reinforcement is inadequate. Adam Jiménez, student representative of the R8 Existeix platform, stated that around 80% of R8 passengers are UAB students, leading to severe platform congestion before morning lectures.
We welcome the willingness to provide a better service on the R8, but we believe this falls very short.
Students Excluded from Planning Process
Jiménez criticised the lack of consultation, noting that neither the UAB nor user platforms were informed before the new service began running. The university confirmed it was unaware until the train was already in operation. Although the new train is longer than the typical three-carriage R8 units, users argue it does not resolve the core issue: insufficient frequency. The R8 Existeix platform is calling for trains every 30 minutes, two per hour, a commitment the UAB ombudsman says has been agreed in principle by Renfe and the Generalitat, pending stable funding.
Long-Term Goals and Ongoing Talks
Students plan to push for rescheduling the reinforcement train and formalising the two-trains-per-hour target during upcoming meetings with transport authorities. These meetings, reinstated after a pause due to perceived ineffectiveness, were originally established following the Gelida accident to coordinate with Rodalies user platforms. Currently, those travelling via Rodalies face longer waits and delays compared to peers using Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat (FGC), which serves the same campus with greater reliability. After arriving at Cerdanyola-Universitat station, all students must transfer to internal UAB buses, which run frequently but cannot alleviate rail-side congestion if trains remain infrequent and overcrowded.
Primary sources: govern.cat. Reported by elmon.cat, UAB - Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, europapress.es, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.
