Barcelona and the wider Catalonia rail network were hit by two Rodalies system failures on 9 June, with Adif and the Catalan government blaming Siemens for the disruption.
The first incident happened around 12.30am, when an operating system update at Adif’s Estació de França control centre blocked the centralised traffic control system, or CTC. That stopped all Rodalies and regional lines for about 20 minutes.
A second failure at around 3.30pm caused further disruption, with trains forced to stop at the nearest station and delays lasting for hours. The incidents came on a day of major mobility pressure in Catalonia because of a papal visit.
Adif, the public railway infrastructure company, said it would take legal action against Siemens. It also said this was not the first problem at the control centre and described the situation as unacceptable. The company said an investigation opened after similar incidents in January remains unresolved. For background on the network, see our Catalonia news coverage.
The January incidents happened on 26 January, when the system crashed twice in one morning. That day had been due to mark the return of rail traffic after a two-day interruption caused by a fatal accident in Gelida. Adif said the backup systems at Sants station were activated more quickly on 9 June than in January, which reduced the time trains were out of service.
Sílvia Paneque, the Catalan Minister for Territory and government spokesperson, said the problems may be linked to the planned but not yet implemented project to unify Adif’s circulation regulation centre and Renfe’s operational management centre. She also said adapting the software for new interlocks with the ERTMS Level 2 safety system was a more likely cause.
Rodalies de Catalunya, the joint company 51% owned by Renfe and 49% by the Generalitat, has told its legal services to look at all options for a claim against Siemens. It is still unclear whether any legal action will be handled by the Catalan administration’s legal services or by the state operator. The company’s only employee, chief executive Òscar Playà, was appointed nearly six months ago.