A land movement, caused by the presence of water, has resulted in a serious sinkhole at the railway track burial construction site in Montcada. This incident has forced the interruption of services on the R2, R2 Nord, and R11 lines of Rodalies de Catalunya. Services are not expected to resume until next week.
The construction is taking place in a geologically complex area, where the Besòs River, the TGV line, the Rec Comtal canal, and the aquifers of Baix Besòs and Pla de Barcelona converge. A video published by 3Cat shows the moment when a land movement, primarily of rocks, caused the supports of the shaft to give way before the sinkhole occurred. Construction workers were able to leave the site before the incident, thus avoiding a potential tragedy.
The sinkhole swallowed a large crane, as well as a small building and two power generators, which are now buried underground. The construction company has been pouring concrete into the area for two days in an attempt to stabilize the ground.
According to reports from La Vanguardia, ADIF's construction company was aware of the ground's instability in Montcada but decided to proceed with the excavations. Local residents explain that a park used to be in this location and that, years ago, water used to emerge from the ground due to leaks.
