Morning paralysis across Catalonia

Commuters across Catalonia encountered halted trains on Wednesday morning after train drivers refused to operate without additional infrastructure inspection reports following overnight storms. Operator Renfe announced at 06:40 that services could not run due to causes outside the company, leaving thousands of passengers stranded at hubs including Barcelona Sants and Sant Vicenç de Calders. Only line R8 operated normally at the start of the day. Partial service resumed later in the morning on lines R1, R2 Sud, R3, R4, and R7, while lines R2, R13, R14, R15, R16, R17, RG1, RL3, RL4, RT1, and RT2 remained halted. Municipalities struggled to handle the disruption, prompting the city council of Terrassa to formally request additional bus convoys and a direct replacement link to Sabadell.

Safety concerns after weather impacts

The driver boycott followed an accident late Tuesday between Vilanova i la Geltrú and Cubelles, where a fallen tree and an earth embankment struck an active Regional train. While that incident caused no passenger injuries, the majority union Semaf cited safety protocols updated after an accident on 20 January in Gelida, where a trainee driver died after hitting a collapsed retaining wall. Semaf sent a letter to railway management refusing to operate until rail infrastructure manager Adif and operator Renfe supplied certified inspection reports for every route. Rodalies director Òscar Playà characterized the refusal as a labor conflict, noting that Adif had cleared all segments except the R2 Nord stretch between Granollers and Cardedeu, where an embankment collapse required extended repairs.

Political clash and official investigation

The Generalitat opened an investigation to determine the causes of the morning paralysis and challenged the drivers' authority to halt transit. Speaking during a control session in the Catalan Parliament, President Salvador Illa stated that the legal responsibility to certify track safety belongs strictly to Adif and Renfe rather than labor organizations.

Track safety is not a subjective matter and is not in the hands of any union.

Territory minister Sílvia Paneque supported the executive's stance, maintaining that technical safety certifications were already completed before the morning shift began.

If yesterday the network was safe, today the network is safe.

Opposition parties including Junts, PP, and CUP requested formal appearances by Paneque in the Catalan Parliament to account for the breakdown and the lack of passenger alternatives.

Copper theft pressure on the rail network

Beyond weather-related incidents, rail managers identified copper cable theft as the leading cause of ongoing service disruptions across the Rodalies network. Catalan police (Mossos d'Esquadra) met with Adif security managers on Wednesday to review the results of Pla Via, an enforcement operation running since August. Under Pla Via, police carried out 36 arrests, placed two suspects into provisional detention, and obtained three judicial restraining orders barring repeat offenders from railway facilities. Adif documented 192 copper theft incidents between June and September 2026, with persistent thefts concentrated around Barcelona-França station and ongoing construction between Parets del Vallès and La Garriga. Officials also convened representatives from 120 waste management companies to restrict illicit metal resale channels.