Everything started on Tuesday night, when an R4 train derailed in Gelida (Alt Penedès) after hitting a retaining wall that had collapsed due to the storm. The accident resulted in the death of a trainee driver and 37 injuries, including the conductor and other drivers in training.
This incident, which occurred just two days after another fatal high-speed accident in Adamuz (Córdoba), led drivers to stop working, demanding safety guarantees. The majority union, SEMAF, has called a general strike across Spain from February 9 to 11.
After days of cuts, partial resumption, and a new landslide on the R1 between Blanes and Maçanet on Friday, the Catalan Government ordered the total suspension of the service on Saturday noon. The Minister of Territori, Sílvia Paneque, confirmed on Sunday that 21 critical points requiring urgent action have been detected.
“"We have to run what has not been walked in recent years."
The Minister attributed the network's condition to “years of underinvestment in infrastructure,” which have left it “aged and not adapted to 2026.” The Government has prioritized urgent actions at points like the Badalona collector and the Garraf trenches, and has ordered Renfe to make the service free when it reliably resumes.
