Catalonia’s Rodalies commuter rail system is facing a surge in external disruptions. Cable theft, vandalism and suicides on the tracks are driving persistent delays and operational problems. Òscar Playà, CEO of Rodalies de Catalunya, outlined the scale of the crisis at a recent rail policy event in Barcelona. He said cable theft has doubled compared with last year and the region now leads Spain in rail-related fatalities, with suicides accounting for nearly all such incidents.
Cable theft is causing service delays and damaging railway infrastructure. Adif attributed 15,000 minutes of delays on Catalan trains to cable theft during September alone, and said Catalonia accounts for 40% of railway-cable thefts recorded across Spain. On 21 October, police recovered 55 kilograms of copper believed to have been stolen from railway infrastructure at a Barcelona waste-management facility. The investigation remained open as police sought to identify who had sold the material. The Mossos d’Esquadra and Adif operate the Plan Via to combat railway-metal theft. Inspections of scrap and waste businesses are also intended to disrupt resale; 20 such inspections had been carried out in Barcelona during the year covered by the report, La Vanguardia reported.
Playà said graffiti and vandalism continue to affect trains and infrastructure, forcing the company to step up cleaning and reduce the number of out-of-service trains. He also cited technical failures, including broken catenaries and landslides, while trees blocking tracks have added to Rodalies’ reputation for frequent delays. The company is working with the Department of Health and Adif to close off track sections most prone to accidents and reduce the number of incidents.
The Generalitat is preparing to take over the R1 line, which runs from Molins de Rei to Maçanet-Massanes via Barcelona and the Maresme. In October 2026, Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente called the handover “irrevocable,” but said procedural steps remained and the 29 November general election could affect the timetable. The R1 is the first line scheduled to enter the new governance structure, with the R2 Sur and R3 expected to follow. Pere Macias, the commissioner for the Rodalies transfer, confirmed that those lines would also pass to regional control after the R1. The R3, which connects L’Hospitalet de Llobregat with Puigcerdà and La Tor de Querol, has been particularly problematic, with extended closures for infrastructure work and repairs. The R2 Sur, linking Sant Vicenç de Calders with Barcelona’s Estació de França, is next in line, followed by the R4 Nord and sections serving Tortosa and the airport.
The R1 transfer is tied to a new contract-programme that will set the legal, technical and economic structure between the Generalitat, as service holder, and Renfe as operator. Renfe’s board and the Generalitat’s executive council were scheduled to consider the programme on 27 October 2026. The planned operating structure is a mixed company with a Catalan majority, expected to begin operating in January 2027, with the transferred service’s trains and personnel, as well as its stations. Puente said the handover was intended to take place by the end of 2026 or shortly thereafter. The wider transfer process is expected to continue through 2028 as further responsibilities and lines move across.
Despite the formal creation of Rodalies de Catalunya, Playà remains its sole employee. The company is focused on improving service and completing the transfer process, expected by 2028 once it secures the necessary railway license. It has already advanced its business and strategy plan, and Playà said early signs of recovery are emerging after the major crisis triggered by the Gelida accident in January.
Àngel Contreras, deputy director for Adif in eastern Catalonia, recalled that more than 1,000 kilometers of track were inspected in just two months after the Gelida incident. The process would normally take two years. More than 690 site checks, mainly on embankments and slopes, were carried out by over 400 personnel. Temporary speed restrictions peaked at 216 and have since fallen to 135. Contreras said the broader issue is the overall state of the network and trains’ ability to keep to schedule. He also said work is underway on a project to double the Garraf tunnel.
The R1 line alone has annual fixed costs of €17.08 million, with recommended yearly investments of €33.39 million. Its accumulated investment deficit is estimated at €460 million, showing the scale of the challenge facing the Generalitat as it takes on greater responsibility for the network. Replacing aging rolling stock is also pressing: 129 trains from the 447 series are set to become obsolete by 2030.
Weather can add to disruption from theft, vandalism and infrastructure deterioration. Puente cited 630 incidents caused by Storm Harry in January and 14 during later episodes of torrential rain in Catalonia. During severe-weather alerts in October 2026, the Generalitat prepared contingency road transport for 14 Rodalies lines, including R1 through RG1, R2 Nord, R2 Sud, R3, R4 and R8.
These developments come as Catalonia continues to grapple with public safety and infrastructure management. The region’s illegal home occupations have also drawn national attention; a recent report detailed how Catalonia accounts for a disproportionate share of such cases across Spain. More information is available in the analysis of Catalonia’s role in Spain’s illegal home occupation statistics.
For those affected by the mental health crisis reflected in the high number of suicides on the railways, several helplines are available: 024; the Esperanza line at 717 003 717; WhatsApp* (принадлежит Metа, которая признана экстремистской организацией и запрещена в РФ) at 666 640 665; and the ANAR Foundation at 900 20 20 10.
