The Ministry of Transport and the Generalitat de Catalunya unveiled on Tuesday the new Rodalies Plan 2026–2030, an update of the 2020–2030 programme aimed at upgrading the network and regaining passenger confidence after last week’s rail crisis.
The plan increases overall investment by 26%, adding €1.691 billion to bring total funding for the Catalan commuter rail network across the decade 2020–2030 to more than €8 billion.
Maintenance budget doubled
Councillor for Territory Sílvia Paneque and Secretary of State for Transport José Antonio Santano stressed that the new financial framework prioritises maintenance and modernisation — areas that have historically suffered from underinvestment. The maintenance budget will be doubled, reaching €2.243 billion over the decade, €1.34 billion of which will be implemented during the next five years.
The plan is structured around four strategic pillars. Its top priority is reliability, achieved through asset renewal and the refurbishment of bridges, tunnels and signalling systems.
The second pillar focuses on boosting network capacity, currently sized for a Catalonia of six million people, with several projects already under way — including the double-tracking of the R3 line (Parets–La Garriga and Vic–Centelles) and the new rail link to El Prat Airport, to be operated by Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC).
Another cornerstone of the Rodalies Plan 2026–2030 is the expansion and renewal of rolling stock, also already progressing. It foresees the arrival of 110 new EMUs, 72 of which (Class 452) will be assigned to commuter services. This will allow reinforcement of high-demand routes such as R1, R2 and R4 with double formations (200 metres in length), easing congestion at peak hours. In addition, €637 million will be invested in new depots and stabling tracks to accommodate these trains, with bases planned in Mataró, Granollers and Vilanova i la Geltrú.
Station upgrades and digitalisation under the 2026–2030 plan
The programme also allocates €740 million for station improvements, with key projects including the remodelling of Barcelona Sants, completion of La Sagrera and upgrades at the Camp de Tarragona interchange. A further €25 million will go towards system digitalisation and real-time passenger information.
77% of the 2020–2025 budget already executed
Regarding the first phase (2020–2025), the Ministry of Transport and the Generalitat reported that 77% of the budget had already been executed and 81% of funds committed.
Paneque described the new agreement as “an unprecedented investment effort” and acknowledged that the system “has not lived up to expectations” but insisted that the trend is changing thanks to “structural and sustained measures.”
This revival of Rodalies comes after a week of serious incidents, including the Gelida accident, which claimed the life of a trainee driver and caused major service disruptions. According to both administrations, the Rodalies Plan 2026–2030 aims to address this crisis with a long-term strategy combining reliability, capacity and service quality to meet Catalonia’s evolving mobility demands.