At least one person has died and more than 30 others have been injured following an accident on the Rodalies commuter rail network in Gelida, near Barcelona, just days after a deadly train derailment in Adamuz, Córdoba, which claimed more than 40 lives.
According to Catalonia’s Medical Emergency System, SEM, five people are in serious condition, six have less serious injuries and 26 sustained minor injuries. Emergency services were deployed to the scene in Gelida, where the accident occurred on one of the lines of the Rodalies commuter rail service.
Rodalies is the name given to the rail services operating across Catalonia on Spain’s state-owned railway network. Until the most recent agreements between the Catalan government and political parties, rail infrastructure was managed by Adif, while train services were operated by Renfe. Both entities report to Spain’s Ministry of Public Works.
The Rodalies network includes eight commuter lines in the Barcelona area (R1, R2, R2 Nord, R2 Sud, R3, R4, R7 and R8), the Girona line (RG1), two lines in Tarragona (RT1 and RT2), and six regional services (R11, R12, R13, R14, R15 and R16).
In response to the accident and recent severe weather, train drivers and railway infrastructure technicians will inspect the entire Rodalies network overnight to ensure no sections of track have been damaged. The inspections will be carried out using special test convoys, known as “white marches”, with only train drivers and infrastructure managers on board.
Catalonia’s Minister of Territory, Sílvia Paneque, said the purpose of the overnight inspections is to verify that all lines are safe for passenger operations. The results of the checks will be reviewed at a meeting of the CECAT scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
The accident in Gelida has also triggered labour unrest in Spain’s rail sector. The train drivers’ union SEMAF has announced plans for a nationwide strike, citing what it describes as a serious deterioration in rail safety following a series of recent accidents.
In a statement issued after the Gelida incident and the deadly derailment in Adamuz, Córdoba, the union said the latest events had exposed long-standing shortcomings in infrastructure maintenance, safety protocols and investment. SEMAF warned that unless urgent measures are taken by rail authorities and the government, industrial action would be unavoidable.
The union has not yet confirmed a start date for the strike but said it could affect commuter services such as Rodalies, as well as medium- and long-distance and high-speed rail services across Spain. SEMAF is demanding stronger safety guarantees for train crews and passengers, accelerated infrastructure inspections and clearer accountability for those responsible for rail network management.
The strike threat adds further pressure on rail operators Renfe and infrastructure manager Adif, as authorities continue to assess the impact of recent storms and investigate the causes of the Gelida accident.
