Around 30,000 people, according to organizers, or 8,000, according to the Guàrdia Urbana (City Police), participated in the protest on Saturday, February 7 in Barcelona, which ran from the Rafael Casanova monument to Plaça Sant Jaume. The mobilization, promoted by the ANC and the Consell de la República, denounces the unsustainable situation of the commuter rail service.
Testimonies collected at the Sabadell Centre station reflect deep discomfort. Jordi Gómez reported that the problems go far beyond usual delays, highlighting the lack of security and deficiencies in the maintenance and cleanliness of the trains.
“"The Rodalies service not only runs late, but I find it unsafe. I don't feel comfortable when I use Renfe at certain hours."
Other users, such as Sara Herrera and Alba Marín, have opted to seek alternative transportation, such as the Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC) or buses, due to the lack of reliability of Rodalies. This situation has, however, caused the collapse of substitute services.
“"Being a Rodalies user is horrible. It has affected my personal and work life. Rodalies can cause me to be late every day."
Finally, Luis Asensio concluded that confidence in the service has been definitively broken, forcing commuters to rely on third parties or call the Renfe help service daily to confirm which trains are operating, as users have lost the little confidence they had left.
