Rodalies, the Renfe-run commuter rail network around Barcelona, suffered another morning of heavy delays on Thursday, and its boss blamed a shortage of taxis. La Vanguardia reports that the real causes were trains left in the wrong places after two days of strikes and heavy overnight rain.
What happened
According to La Vanguardia, Òscar Playà, described by the paper as the unofficial director of Rodalies, attributed Thursday morning’s problems to a lack of taxis to carry drivers (maquinistas) from Sants station to the depots where trains start their day. He said in an interview on Catalunya Ràdio that it is “not normal” for taxis not to respond, and accused them of arriving late.
The taxi issue stems from a new Renfe rule in force since last Saturday. All Rodalies drivers must now begin and end their shift at Sants, the main station in Barcelona, instead of at other stations as before. La Vanguardia says this has increased the dispute between Renfe management and the drivers over the strike negotiations, and has sharply raised the number of taxi journeys needed to reach the first train of the day.
The taxi sector rejected the claim. Tito Álvarez, spokesperson for Élite Taxi, said that “if the trains are late, it is not the taxi’s fault” and that taxi drivers were at the assigned place and time. Marc Grau, commercial director of Taxi Ecològic, the company that has served Renfe for three years, said he was “perplexed”. He said the number of taxis Renfe requests has soared since the change, but that his company gives driver transfers top priority. La Vanguardia adds that an earlier provider, a VTC (private hire vehicle with driver) firm, had its contract ended for repeated non-compliance.
The newspaper concludes that taxis were not the real reason. Many trains were not at the right station at the start of the day because of the general strike on Wednesday and the strike called by the drivers’ union Semaf on Tuesday. After two days on minimum services, numerous trains ended up far from the terminals where they were due to start, and had to be moved first. Heavy rain the night before also hit some areas: some trains were flooded inside or leaking so badly that passengers could not board them.
What it means for you
The worst effects were early on Thursday on the R1 and R2 lines, with the R4 and the regional services also strongly affected. La Vanguardia says delays exceeded an hour in many cases. Rodalies had to set up an alternative bus service on some lines with the fewest trains available.
If you commute by Rodalies, particularly on the R1, R2 or R4, allow extra time and check the operator’s live service information before you leave. Have a back-up route in mind, as the article gives no timetable for when services will be back to normal.
The source does not say whether the new Sants start-and-finish rule will continue, or whether it will keep causing early-morning disruption. It also does not mention compensation or refund rules, so check Renfe’s own conditions if a delay affects a ticket or season pass.
What to watch next
- The dispute between Renfe and the drivers over the strike negotiations, which La Vanguardia says has been made worse by the new Sants rule.
- Whether the taxi transfers for drivers settle down, given the increase in requests since last Saturday.
- Whether further strike action follows the Semaf stoppage and the general strike. The article does not give new dates.
Source: La Vanguardia
Sources
- La Vanguardia: Rodalies culpa a los taxistas del enésimo día de mal funcionamiento, accessed 13 November 2026
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