The institutional spokesperson for Renfe in Catalonia, Antonio Carmona, detailed that the accumulated expenditure up to November 30 amounts to nearly 6.7 million euros, translating to approximately 20,000 euros daily. This constant battle affects the public service, causing train cancellations and delays, especially at critical points such as Montcada Bifurcació, Estació de França, and L’Hospitalet.
“"This type of vandalism affects us all because it has a social cost with train cancellations, delays, or discomfort when traveling."
Despite the high cost, Renfe has registered a reduction in vandalism acts of between 25% and 30% (887 incidents) compared to the previous year. This improvement is attributed to security investments, which include the use of drones, AI-powered video surveillance cameras, and canine units to locate graffiti artists in fraganti.
For its part, the Generalitat (Catalan Government), through the Director General of Transport and Mobility, Susi López, described graffiti as a “first-order” problem. The Parliament is currently processing an increase in penalties, which could reach up to 90,000 euros, aiming to send a message of “zero tolerance.” The total security investment by the Department of Territory exceeds 20 million euros.
