Spain’s Secretary of State for Transport and Sustainable Mobility, José Antonio Santano, stated that the work included in the emergency plan for Catalonia’s rail network—Rodalies de Catalunya, a commuter rail network—is proceeding according to schedule.
Spanish authorities are investing EUR 170 million in emergency work being carried out at over 100 points along the railway infrastructure affected by storms and extreme weather events.
According to him, approximately 400 specialists are currently working on the interventions included in the Rodalies Contingency Plan, aimed at restoring and stabilizing Catalonia’s railway infrastructure following the effects of Storm Harry and other severe weather events that have affected the network in recent months.
The statements were made during a visit conducted alongside Silvia Paneque, Regional Minister for Territorial Planning at the Generalitat de Catalunya, to assess the progress of the consolidation and stabilization works on the Rubí Tunnel, one of the most significant ongoing projects on Catalonia’s railway infrastructure.
Work on Catalonia’s railway network continues
Spanish authorities have confirmed the resumption of traffic on one of the tracks of the Rubí Tunnel in Barcelona, allowing freight trains to operate during a 12-hour window each day. The partial reopening became possible after the completion of the first phase of the works, which focused on the first 60 meters of the tunnel.
Another major ongoing project involves the Garraf and Aiguadolç artificial tunnel and viaducts, located between Sitges and Garraf. The work aims to protect the structures from marine corrosion and the effects of ocean waves in an area where the railway infrastructure is constantly exposed to harsh coastal conditions. Also as part of this project, waterproofing and reinforcement work is being carried out on an underpass in Sitges.
At the same time, reinforcement work is being carried out in the Ribes de Freser and Toses tunnels, as well as in the tunnels between Roda de Berà and Salomó and between Valls and Plana de Picamoixons. These interventions are part of the more than 100 construction sites currently active across 31 sections of the Rodalies network.
In addition to the work in the tunnels, a large part of the interventions focuses on embankments, cuttings, and railway ditches affected by landslides and water infiltration. From January to the present, 65 sections of infrastructure have been stabilized, most of them in the provinces of Tarragona and Barcelona.
Significant progress has been made on the Barcelona–Mataró–Maçanet, Sant Vicenç de Calders–Manresa, Barcelona–Lleida via Valls and Reus, Barcelona–Móra la Nova–Ribaroja d’Ebre, and Barcelona–Girona–Portbou lines.
Regarding the temporary speed restrictions in place on the network, their number has dropped to 157, down from 216 recorded at the beginning of March. According to estimates, the number of restrictions will continue to decrease in the coming period.
Spanish authorities, together with Adif and Renfe, state that they are maintaining their cooperation with the regional administration and rail operators to restore the Rodalies network to normal operating parameters and to improve the quality of services offered to passengers.
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