Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC) will acquire 38 new trains for its Llobregat-Anoia line, serving Barcelona and surrounding areas, according to FGC president Carles Ruiz. This significant investment includes 18 trains to increase service frequency and support the line's extension between Plaça Espanya and Gràcia, with another 20 units replacing trains purchased in 1999 that have reached the end of their operational life.
Ruiz detailed the plans, explaining that the new trains are part of a broader strategy to modernise and expand Catalonia's rail network. The Llobregat-Anoia line's extension to Gràcia will also require new workshops, signalling changes, and will prepare the line for a potential interconnection with Castelldefels, creating a direct route from Gràcia to Castelldefels.
New Services and Expansion Challenges
The FGC president also addressed the upcoming R-Aeroport line to Barcelona Airport, which will be shared with Renfe and Adif. He anticipates the service will start in the first half of next year, pending tunnel completion, train testing, and homologation. Ruiz acknowledged delays in train deliveries from manufacturers, a situation also affecting Renfe's orders, but stressed that users will benefit from new, modern fleets.
FGC is set to become a larger rail operator, taking on the management of Rodalies services in Lleida and launching the TramCamp tram system in Tarragona, expected by the end of 2029. The company projects an increase from 100 million current passengers to 150 million within five to six years. This growth necessitates a redesign of control systems, with plans for a networked system integrating control centres from each line into a single platform.
Preparing for Future Rail Projects
FGC is preparing to manage new rail services and systems beyond its traditional scope, acting as an instrument of the Catalan government's railway strategy. Ruiz mentioned that the government is exploring several tram projects in the Barcelona metropolitan area, Vallès, and Baix Empordà, and FGC is making organisational and cultural changes to meet these potential challenges.
Another project under consideration is a rail connection between Castelldefels and Sant Boi. The Infrastructure Master Plan proposes either a connection from Cornellà via the Adif network or from FGC's Molí Nou station in Sant Boi on the Llobregat-Anoia line. The current extension of the Llobregat-Anoia line will make it better prepared for this interlink.
Ruiz also touched on the potential for FGC to take on the orbital line project from Vilanova to Mataró. He highlighted the government's focus on balanced population growth across Catalonia, noting that rail mobility is key to connecting more distant urban areas and providing high-capacity passenger flow.
Investment and Climate Change Impact
When discussing service reliability, Ruiz attributed FGC's success to continuous investment in maintenance, supported by the Catalan government's multi-year programme contracts. He contrasted this with other operators, implicitly referring to Renfe, which has faced criticism over service disruptions.
However, Ruiz warned that climate change is introducing new risks to the rail system. Episodes of drought followed by torrential rain weaken subsoils, creating problems not seen two decades ago. FGC is undertaking slope stabilisation works, particularly on the Llobregat-Anoia and Lleida to La Pobla lines, which traverse open, non-urban areas susceptible to weather conditions. This requires changes in how the company protects tracks, tunnels, and integrates new sensorisation and signalling systems.
Looking ahead ten years, Ruiz anticipates a very different FGC. He emphasised that the company's core values of efficiency and punctuality will remain central to all new services it incorporates.
