This Wednesday's eclipse, which offered spectacular views in Tarragona, led to less desirable scenes at the local train stations. A lack of trains caused long waits and crowds, forcing the Mossos d’Esquadra (Catalan Police) to restrict platform access for safety reasons. The situation particularly affected the stations of Torredembarra, Altafulla, and Tarragona city.
Both the Generalitat (Catalan Government) and the Servei Català del Trànsit (Catalan Traffic Service) had recommended using trains for travel to the southern regions of Catalonia in anticipation of the astronomical event. Despite this, Rodalies (commuter rail) proved problematic for passengers.
Renfe denies a lack of foresight, arguing it did not have more trains available to prevent the collapse. The railway company doubled the service on the R16 line (Barcelona-Terres de l’Ebre), increasing capacity from 1,800 to 3,600 seats, and boosted capacity by 60% on the R15 line (Barcelona-Reus), offering 1,600 seats. In the city of Tarragona alone, over 26,000 people gathered to watch the eclipse.
The insufficient train service led to nervousness and confusion, both at Barcelona's Sants station in the early afternoon and during the evening commute home. Protecció Civil (Civil Protection) activated the Ferrocat plan's pre-alert due to the heavy crowds at the stations of Tortosa, Tarragona, and Altafulla. Normalcy was not restored until past midnight, when the situation on the AP7 motorway also began to improve.
David Andrés, Rodalies' head of operations, stated that the lack of trains caused the collapse, arguing that the deployment was the maximum possible with available resources and that limited capacity prevented them from meeting the excess demand on the southern corridor without affecting other lines.
Nevertheless, Renfe assures that no passenger was left at the station, as a train from the R11 line was deployed to act as a 'sweeper train' to pick up stranded passengers.
