State railway infrastructure manager Adif has reinforced 13 kilometres of railway tracks in municipalities surrounding Collserola Natural Park. This action aims to prevent wild boar from accessing the lines, particularly after an African swine fever alert was declared last November.
Traditionally, fencing along railway lines is installed to deter people from trespassing. However, Adif's recent priority has shifted to combating wild boar. The work has focused on sections of the R4 line in Baix Llobregat, specifically in Sant Feliu de Llobregat, Molins de Rei, and El Papiol. On the other side of the mountain, also along the R4 in Vallès, measures have been taken in Cerdanyola, Barberà, and Sabadell. The R8 line in Rubí and Castellbisbal, which carries freight trains but not Rodalies services, has also seen upgrades.
New Fencing Design
The fences designed to stop wild boar differ from those used for humans. According to Adif sources, a standard fence at ground level is not enough. These new barriers include an underground shield to stop animals from digging underneath and creating gaps. The main goal is to prevent collisions with trains and to stop a train from carrying contaminated wild boar remains across the country.
An incident on 23 April showed the risk. A wild boar entered the high-speed line in Penedès and was hit by an AVE train travelling from Madrid to Barcelona. Despite the high-speed line being fully fenced, the animal's remains reached Sants station on the front and undercarriage of the train. This required a special protocol to safely remove the remains from the station and the section of track where the collision happened. The protocol aimed to ensure African swine fever did not spread via the train beyond the already affected area.
