Residents of Trinitat Vella, in the Nou Barris district of Barcelona, evacuated early this morning due to vibrations related to Adif works on the Vallbona variant, state they do not feel secure despite being able to return home this morning. "The firefighters told us we can return home because they checked it and that, if it trembles again, we should call immediately, but we are not calm," explains Jana, one of the affected residents.
The buildings, located on Pérez del Pulgar street, suffer from aluminosis, and residents hope for expropriation to be rehoused. "They have cracks, there are shored-up apartments," says Jana, who witnessed her home's entrance shake and objects fall from the walls. The alert about the vibrations was received after 3:30 AM, activating a fire department operation to evacuate about eighty people.
Adif has confirmed that vibrations were felt in three blocks and, as a precaution, has halted work at this point and conducted a technical inspection. Municipal sources assure that no damage was detected in the main building and residents have already returned to their homes. Despite the assurances, unease persists among residents, who recall the buildings' condition with cracks and shored-up apartments.
Raquel, a resident of a non-evacuated block, also felt vibrations at her home, describing how furniture and windows moved. The City Council has summoned those affected for a meeting tomorrow morning at the Nou Barris district headquarters to discuss the situation and demands for guarantees to live peacefully.
Adif detailed that the works causing the vibrations began this week within the railway tunnel of the Nus de la Trinitat, as part of the Vallbona variant works. The company is analyzing the situation to safely resume tasks and is collaborating with the Fire Department to minimize inconvenience to residents. The rest of the Vallbona variant works continue normally.
