Transport Dignity at Heart of 11-N Strike
Passenger advocacy groups across Catalonia are set to join the general strike on Tuesday 11 November 2026, calling for "dignified mobility" as a fundamental right. The platforms argue that access to housing, work, and public services such as healthcare and education cannot be secured without reliable public transport. "Mobility is a right. A right we have been demanding for too long in the Terres de l'Ebre, and which remains insufficiently guaranteed," said spokespeople from the Plataforma Trens Dignes in the Terres de l'Ebre and Priorat, during a joint statement read outside Tortosa train station on Wednesday 14 October. The groups stressed that for residents of inland areas, public transport is not a convenience but a necessity for daily life. They cited ongoing challenges including frequent delays, cancellations, mechanical failures, and inadequate service frequency, which force people to spend excessive time travelling and miss vital connections.
Isolation and Depopulation in Inland Areas
Cinta Galiana, spokesperson for Trens Dignes, highlighted the impact of poor transport on depopulation. "Inland counties face a severe lack of public transport. In parts of Ribera d’Ebre and Terra Alta, without a car or bus pass, people are completely isolated. That’s why our towns are emptying out, there’s no transport that fits with school or work schedules," she said. Galiana linked the housing crisis to transport failures, noting that students and workers are pushed to the outskirts of Barcelona due to unaffordable rents, yet cannot live in more affordable areas without reliable connections. "Living affordably in one place must go hand in hand with access to transport from towns across the Terres de l'Ebre," she added.
R-15 Service Restored After 10-Month Disruption
The call comes just days after Renfe restored full train service on the R-15 Rodalies line between Riba-roja d’Ebre and Móra la Nova on 13 October 2026, ending a 10-month period during which bus replacements were used following storm damage from Storm Harry in January. The disruption had severed direct rail links in the region, affecting access to education and healthcare. According to Renfe, the restoration allows for more direct journeys on the Barcelona–Casp–Zaragoza route, improving connections for morning and evening commuters. However, temporary speed restrictions (Limitacions Temporals de Velocitat) remain in place on parts of the line. A report by the Territorial Plan for the Terres de l’Ebre notes that municipalities in Terra Alta and Ribera d’Ebre rank among the most poorly connected in the region, with limited access to the basic transport network defined in the Territorial Infrastructure and Transport Plan (PITC).
Students Struggle with Late-Return Transport
“We found many students from different towns affected. Around half of the 101 pupils returning to Ribera d’Ebre and Terra Alta after evening classes had no way to get home,”
said Cinta Galiana, citing data from the Ribera d’Ebre County Council and the IES de l’Ebre. The platform has called for a demand-responsive bus service linking Tortosa with surrounding municipalities and proposed low-cost solutions, such as adding a stop in the Ferreries district to existing bus routes. The groups have not ruled out further protest actions during the 11 November strike and continue to demand long-term investment in equitable, accessible transport infrastructure across Catalonia’s rural and semi-rural regions.
Primary sources: apl03, rodalies.gencat.cat, ANABEL AREVALO GARCIA, Premsa TMB, treball.gencat.cat. Reported by canalte.cat, Redacció Ebredigital.cat, ACN, laciutat.cat, elperiodico.com, Nació Digital, reusdigital.cat.
