The Rodalies railway network in Catalonia has experienced its largest drop in passenger traffic in recent years. According to official Renfe data, in the first three months of 2026, 20.9 million people used the commuter trains—7 million fewer than in the same period last year. This represents a decrease of 25.2% and is a direct consequence of the transport crisis caused by an accident on the line near Gelida.
The accident and its aftermath
The incident, which occurred on January 20, paralyzed Rodalies traffic for several days. On the day of the accident and for the next two days, no trains ran at all; then followed a partial restart, but by January 24, the service was suspended again. As a result, the network was forced to initiate dozens of emergency repairs and temporary routes with bus transfers. Large-scale disruptions and constant delays prompted many passengers to look for alternatives—switching to Ferrocarriles de la Generalitat, intercity buses, or private cars.
Decline dynamics
The sharpest decrease in the number of trips was recorded in January and February. In January 2025, Rodalies transported 9.01 million people, while in January 2026—only 6.16 million, a drop of 31.6%. The gap was even more apparent in February: 6.25 million versus 9.35 million a year earlier, or minus 33.1%. In March, the situation stabilized slightly, but figures still lagged behind last year’s—8.48 million trips versus 9.59 million (-11.5%).
Comparison with Madrid
The decline in passenger numbers in Catalonia has been significantly greater than in other regions. In Madrid, where there were no major incidents, the Cercanías network lost only 5.4% of users during the same period: from 62.26 to 58.93 million rides. In March, the difference between the regions became especially noticeable — Catalonia lost a million passengers, while in Madrid the numbers remained almost unchanged.
Punctuality Issues
According to internal Renfe reports, the average delay for Rodalies trains in Barcelona in March was 1.4 minutes, compared to 0.6 minutes in Madrid. Considering only trains that arrived late, the average delay in Catalonia reached 21.2 minutes, and in February — 26.6 minutes. In Madrid, this figure did not exceed 12 minutes. In March, only 45.7% of Rodalies trains arrived on time, while in the capital this number was 68.4%. Meanwhile, 94.1% of trains in Catalonia were less than five minutes late, compared to 95.3% in Madrid.
Background
The Rodalies network serves 166 municipalities in Catalonia, covering 1,120 kilometers of tracks, 200 stations, and 271 trains. Before the crisis, it transported around half a million passengers daily. Dozens of repair works are still ongoing on the network, but restoring trust in the service is happening slowly.
