The condition of Catalonia’s railway network remains a topic of discussion, especially following a recent meeting between the region’s president, Salvador Illa, and the heads of Renfe and Adif. The focus is on the R4 and R15 lines, which over the past three years have become the region’s most problematic in terms of technical failures and delays.
Modernization work on the section between Sant Vicenç de Calders and Manresa began back in August, and this line is now experiencing increased demand after the summer season. According to official statistics for 2022–2024, it is R4 and R15 that have most frequently encountered incidents affecting train service. Of the 693 recorded cases, R4 accounted for 30, while R15, which connects Barcelona with Riba-roja d’Ebre (Tarragona), had 508.
On average, there were 1.5 disruptions per day, affecting around 2.4 million passengers. Over three years, the total accumulated delay exceeded 420,000 minutes—the equivalent of nearly 291 days of downtime. Punctuality on commuter routes is measured as deviations of less than three minutes, and up to five minutes on regional lines.
The R2 line (Castelldefels — Granollers-Centre) had the second highest number of incidents among commuter routes, with 28 cases recorded, followed by R1 (Molins de Rei — Maçanet-Massanes). In the medium-distance segment, after R15, the most problematic routes were R14 (Barcelona — Lleida) with 470 incidents and R16 (Barcelona — Ulldecona) with 379.
Differences in statistics are explained by varying reporting criteria: only major disruptions affecting more than 10,000 people are recorded on commuter lines, while on regional lines, disruptions from 1,000 passengers are counted. For example, in September last year on the R2, a turnout malfunction in Castelldefels led to delays of up to 10 hours, impacting 72 trains and nearly 14,000 people. A similar incident occurred later near Vilanova i la Geltrú, affecting the R13, R14, and R15 lines.
The most common causes of disruptions are problems with track switches (23 cases) and the overhead contact system (27 cases). Most such incidents occur on regional routes. In addition, there are more rolling stock malfunctions on peripheral sections, especially issues with braking systems. The train fleet on regional lines is significantly older, with some trains in operation for over half a century.
The sections around Sitges and Girona remain particularly problematic. Sitges has recorded 27 different disruptions, and in Girona, 14 out of 24 incidents were linked to the theft of copper cable, leading to service interruptions.
The biggest disruptions in recent years have been caused by both weather events and vandalism. Last year, heavy rainfall paralyzed six lines, and in May, mass cable theft caused disruptions for nearly 70,000 passengers and halted 677 trains.
The largest incident in terms of those affected was the fire in the signal room at Gavà station in May 2023. Delays on the R2 line between El Prat and Castelldefels impacted more than 36,000 people in the first five days, with consequences felt across six lines for two weeks.
The causes of these incidents became a point of contention between infrastructure company Adif and the Catalan government. After the Gavà fire, their versions of the cause differed: lightning was initially suspected, but it was later revealed to be a case of arson.
