During the appearance of the president of Renfe before the Investigation Commission on the state of the network, a Junts senator highlighted the under-execution of investments in Catalonia and the numerous incidents affecting rail services.
“"We are not talking about a punctual delay, but a whole decade of under-execution. And this, obviously, has a direct impact on the state of the network."
Between 2010 and 2023, only 50.3% of the budgeted investments by ADIF and Renfe in Catalonia were executed, leaving over 5.6 billion euros uninvested. This situation results in a network with recurrent problems, with 60% of the days in 2025 registering incidents in Rodalies or medium-distance services. For example, the month of March accumulated 47 incidents and 17 days with significant delays.
“"Six out of ten days with problems is not an anomaly; it is a system that does not work."
Most of these incidents, three out of four, occur during peak hours, increasing the impact on users. The service has lost 7.5 million passengers in one year, while in other regions, train usage is increasing. In the Girona region, it is common for passengers to have to stand on medium-distance services between Barcelona and Girona, a situation that particularly affects daily students and workers. This problem is exacerbated by aging infrastructure, with catenaries over 40 years old and delays in key projects such as the duplication of the R3 line.
“"We have normalized users traveling standing for a large part of the journey. This is not quality service; it is institutionalized resignation."
In response to the criticism, the president of Renfe admitted that the service in Catalonia "is not up to the users' standards" and acknowledged that for years "not only has investment been neglected, but also the maintenance of the network".
