After a chaotic Thursday, Barcelona woke up today to a minimal agreement with Rodalies that has allowed service to resume but is causing even more delays and congestion on the platforms than usual.
We’ll give you all the details on how to get in and out of Barcelona this Friday, December 23.
Rodalies restores service… partially
Barcelona woke up today to a very different picture from the total paralysis of the last 48 hours, but still far from complete normality. After the derailment in Gelida and two days of chaos, Rodalies has resumed service on all its lines, although with significant disruptions during rush hour.
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The R1 line is running at reduced frequency and accumulating delays of up to 30 minutes.
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On the R4, the section between Sant Vicenç de Calders and Martorell is being covered by an alternative bus service, while the rest of the line is already operating by rail.
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The R2 Nord was the first to resume service last night, between Maçanet and the airport, and today it is already part of the general Rodalies reopening plan.
Night inspections have allowed the network to reopen, but the system remains in a kind of “permanent breakdown mode,” with irregular schedules and trains full from the early hours. Although the suspension of service in recent days was officially attributed to “operational causes,” the last-minute agreement between the Generalitat, Adif, Renfe, and Semaf was key to unblocking the situation and establishing safety commitments.
The memory of the fatal accident in Gelida and the recent accident in Adamuz keeps the debate alive about the state of the infrastructure and the conditions of train drivers. The strikes called for February are still on the table, so the specter of more difficult days ahead has not disappeared.
Which transport services are operating today?
With Rodalies running at half speed, the rest of the transport network is once again the refuge for those who need to get around Barcelona and its surroundings.
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Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat: service is running normally and absorbing much of the demand from Vallès and Baix Llobregat.
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Metro and TRAM: operating as usual, but with trains fuller than normal on connections with Cercanías stations.
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Urban and interurban buses: the Generalitat continues to reinforce interurban lines, especially in corridors affected by the closure of the AP-7 and detours via the A-2.
If you are going to take the bus, it is still essential to check the official apps or the Generalitat’s website beforehand, as diversions and stop changes continue in areas such as Baix Llobregat and the metropolitan area.
The AP-7 motorway will be under construction until Saturday.
The car is not a magic solution either: the AP-7 southbound at Martorell remains restricted due to the risk of instability on the embankment where the train accident occurred. This diverts a very high volume of traffic, including thousands of trucks, to the A-2 and other alternative routes.
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Traffic is diverting vehicles onto the A-2 and recommending routes such as the C-32 along the coast and the B-42 along the pre-coastal area, rejoining the AP-7 beyond the critical section.
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Traffic jams on the A-2 have become the soundtrack of the early hours of the day, especially between Cornellà and Martorell.
To alleviate the bottleneck, the barriers in the Garraf tunnels (C-32) remain lifted, making the coastal route the preferred escape route for many drivers, although with much heavier traffic than usual.
ZBE suspended and recommendations for today
The exceptional suspension of the Low Emission Zone in Barcelona and its metropolitan area remains in force at least until today, Friday, January 23, to facilitate the use of private vehicles while Rodalies is not offering a fully normalized service.
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The Catalan government has already announced that the exception will remain in place until today and could be extended if the incidents affecting Rodalies continue, which is still a possibility due to delays and service cuts.
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Any vehicle can enter the city without incurring a ZBE penalty while this suspension is in place, a loophole that also contributes to increased congestion.
Mobility recommendations for the rest of the week
Given this situation, the best recommendation for the rest of Thursday and for Friday is, if your job allows it, to embrace teleworking as if there were no tomorrow.Avoiding unnecessary travel will not only save you a couple of hours of your life lost on a platform or in the left lane, but it will also help to decongest roads that are at the limit of their capacity.
If you have no choice but to travel,try to stagger your schedule so you don’t coincide with rush hour and stay tuned to real-time updates from Trànsit and transport operators. Barcelona is an expert at surviving its own traffic jams, and although today’s traffic is a little heavier than usual, we will eventually reach our destination, even if it is a little later than planned.
Rodalies has issued anofficial excuse notefollowing the rail chaos in Barcelona on Wednesday and Thursday.