Rail service on the Rodalies R3 line ground to a halt on Wednesday morning after a vegetation fire broke out between Granollers and Canovelles, directly affecting the tracks. The disruption coincided with the Sant Joan holiday and forced the suspension of all train traffic between L’Hospitalet de Llobregat and Puigcerdà, affecting basic commuter routes through Granollers and Vic. Rodalies arranged bus transfers for stranded passengers. It was the most severe of several incidents affecting Catalonia’s railways that day.
The R3 line has faced repeated setbacks in recent months. Just a day earlier, service between Ripoll and Ribes de Freser was halted for several hours because of cable theft. Construction delays have added to the problems. The section between L’Hospitalet and Mollet del Vallès, originally scheduled to reopen in May, remains closed after a cement factory wall collapsed onto the tracks in March. A dispute between Adif and the factory over responsibility for the damage has stalled progress. Adif is now set to rebuild the wall. The line’s full reopening has been pushed back to January 2027, in line with the expected completion of the double-tracking project between Parets and la Garriga.
Other Rodalies lines also ran into problems on Wednesday. The R4 line resumed operations around 11:10 a.m. after a car fell onto the tracks between Sabadell Sud and Barberà del Vallès, temporarily halting service. Meanwhile, infrastructure issues suspended both the R2 and R4 lines between Barcelona and Montcada i Reixac, adding to commuters’ difficulties during one of Catalonia’s busiest travel periods.
Later rail disruptions have shown how infrastructure responsibilities can be divided among operators and infrastructure managers. In October 2026, a partial ceiling collapse at the Gornal tunnel in L’Hospitalet affected FGC services on the Llobregat-Anoia line, including the R5, R6, S8 and FGC’s S3. Trains ran on a single track while Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC) and Adif technicians inspected and stabilized the site. The FGC tunnel connects with Adif infrastructure above it. Initial reporting said investigations did not attribute the collapse to Adif’s railway infrastructure, while Adif’s network continued operating. FGC Operadora director Oriol Juncadella and Adif spokesperson Antonio Carmona said the companies were working jointly on repairs. Carmona said the immediate priority was resolving the incident, with its cause to be established later. FGC expected to restore full service during the week following 23 October.
The wider network’s performance and management have also drawn government attention. Transport Minister Óscar Puente said approximately €200 million had been spent on emergency Rodalies works after January’s Storm Harry. In remarks reported by EFE on 22 October, he linked that investment to a fall in infrastructure incidents, citing 630 during the January storm and 14 in the autumn period under discussion. Puente acknowledged that passengers were “desperate” and promised that “everything will improve.” These figures reflect the minister’s assessment of network incidents; they do not establish the cause or severity of the R3 fire.
The Spanish government has also been preparing a new Renfe contract-programme to formalize future Rodalies investment, alongside plans to transfer some service responsibilities to a new company involving the Generalitat de Catalunya. The R1 is expected to be the first line transferred, with the R2 Sud and R3 considered later. Adif would continue to manage the railway infrastructure, so a change in service management would not itself transfer control of tracks or infrastructure. The distinction matters when assessing disruptions: different institutions may be responsible for train operations, infrastructure and regional oversight.
Rail disruptions have become a recurring challenge for Catalonia’s transport network, particularly during peak travel times and public holidays. Official data show that the Rodalies network serves hundreds of thousands of passengers daily, making prolonged suspensions a impressive inconvenience. Infrastructure upgrades and maintenance projects are underway, but fires, theft and accidents continue to expose weaknesses in the system. Repeated delays and disputes over responsibility show how complicated it is to maintain and modernize critical rail links in the region.
