Service restored on R1 line amid widespread disruption on Rodalies network

Spanish rail operator Renfe on Tuesday detailed its transportation plan for the coming days after the network suffered a "structural" failure due to copper theft on Sunday.

The R1 line of the Rodalies commuter train service resumed normal service to Hospitalet on Tuesday.

The R4 North will resume its connection with Barcelona and there will be two trains per hour in each direction between Hospitalet and Manresa.

The R4 South will have four trains per hour in each direction between Hospitalet and Sant Civenç de Calders.

On the R3, the most affected line, trains will only operate between Puigcerdà and Ripollet, and Renfe will "try to reinforce" alternative bus services.

The R7 remains without service and travelers can take the R4 to Cerdanyola and then take a bus to the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB).

The R12 regional line only operates between Lleida and Calaf, and there are alternative buses between Calaf and Manresa, where users can take the R4.

The R8, R2 and the regional trains of the south operate as usual.

The R13 and R14 lines from Lleida and Borges Blanques were disrupted on Tuesday morning due to a new copper theft, as confirmed by Renfe and Adif.

R11 line user said today: "So often we have to get off in the middle of a trip. Not just once, but several times. I've been using this line for 6 years and it always happens".

 

Although the theft occurred in the early hours of the night, the service was operating normally by 8.30 am.

'We are angry and outraged'

The disruption of the R3 line, which connects L'Hospitalet de Llobregat and Puigcerdà via Vic, has left thousands of people without their daily commute.

"We are angry and outraged," says Bernat Camps, a member of the local public transport activist group 'Perquè no ens fotin el tren'.

"The service in all the Rodalies network is now practically normalized, except in the R3. We feel that we are always the last and the most disadvantaged".

The R3 line is the most affected by the copper theft and trains only operate between Puigcerdà and Montcada Ripollet with two trains per hour and direction.

Commuters forced to find alternative options

Many users who normally use the R4 line, which connects Vilafranca del Penedès and Manresa through Barcelona and its metropolitan area, have been forced to find alternative routes. 

The line is currently operational, but there are only two trains per hour in each direction in the southern section of the line, and four trains in the northern section. 

"Two trains an hour is totally insufficient," user Rafael Ibero told the Catalan News Agency (ACN). 

Ibero, who lives in Barberà del Vallès, drove his own car to Bellaterra, where he took the Ferrocarrils (FGC) commuter train to Barcelona's Plaça Catalunya. 

"Until there are clearer conditions from Renfe, I will continue to use this," he said. 

The Vallès line of the FGC, which is owned and operated by the Catalan government, saw a 5% increase in passengers on Monday. 

No security cameras where theft occured

The section of the railway where the copper theft happened on Sunday had no security cameras, according to the director of the Mossos d'Esquadra, Pere Ferrer. 

Ferrer has criticized the railway operator Adif for not securing the area better, as it is an "extremely important part of the Catalan railway infrastructure".

Since the incident, the Mossos and Adif have been blaming each other over who is responsible for the security of the tracks. 

Antonio Carmona, the director of Renfe, said on Monday that the security of the rail network was the responsibility of the Mossos.

"I feel powerless: I ask the Mossos to put an end to the scourge of copper theft," he said on RAC1 radio. 

The director of the Catalan police Pere Ferrer claimed that Adif was primarily responsible because it was the company that owned the copper.

"If the infrastructure is not protected, it provides easier opportunities for thieves," he said. 

Spanish transport minister Óscar Puente quickly came to Adif's defense: 

"Mossos reached a conclusion without even entering the tunnels where the fires occurred: "We rule out sabotage," they said. I applaud their knowledge, but we cannot rule it out," he said. 

Most copper thefts on Spanish government rail lines

Catalonia is the region in Spain with the highest number of copper thefts on railway lines. In the first quarter of the year, 46 incidents were recorded, 32 of them in Barcelona alone.

Most of the copper thefts occur on the Rodalies lines. Last year, 240 copper thefts occurred on the Rodalies lines, while 16 occurred on FGC lines. 

Although the total number of kilometers of Rodalies lines is much greater than that of FGC, the Spanish state-owned lines have 184 incidents per 1,000 kilometers, while the Catalan lines have 29 incidents per 1,000 kilometers.