Public transport advocacy groups in Barcelona have warned that the new R-Aeroport train line, set to launch next year, will negatively affect existing Rodalies services by increasing tunnel congestion.
Activists from several organisations, united under the Promoció del Transport Públic (PTP) association, gathered at Passeig de Gràcia Rodalies station to highlight the “negative impacts” of the R-Aeroport line on the Rodalies and Regional networks. They argue that the line, intended for tourism, will further disadvantage regular commuters.
According to a PTP statement, Catalonia's railway system already suffers from “structural saturation, especially in Barcelona's railway tunnels”. The R-Aeroport, with a planned frequency of four trains per hour, or one every 15 minutes, will add to this congestion in the Aragó street tunnel. This will increase the system's fragility, making it more likely that any incident will affect the entire network.
“This directly impacts users of the R2 Nord, R2 Sud lines, and Regional services that cross this corridor, from Figueres to Tortosa, further compromising service reliability and punctuality,” the PTP statement said. The group called it “shameful” that this is the only Rodalies railway expansion in recent decades. They also criticised the €400 million investment in an airport connection, which they say is already well-served by Rodalies, metro, and bus, despite Rodalies currently only reaching Terminal 2.
The groups are calling on the Generalitat to “urgently reformulate and redesign the project with a global network vision”. They want the new trains to be used for conventional services that strengthen the existing network and meet the real mobility needs of residents. Additionally, they demand that the government abandon plans for the expansion of El Prat airport.
