Barcelona-Madrid high-speed train line suspended after equipment theft
19-year-old arrested in relation to incident while some passengers redirected to Rodalies services
Circulation of the high-speed train link between Barcelona and Madrid has been entirely halted on Monday morning after the theft of a piece of rail equipment.
Adif, the company that manages railway infrastructure, explained that the services were disrupted from early in the morning due to a robbery of 600m of cable between Arboç and Figueres-Vilafant.
Hundreds of passengers in Barcelona's central Sants station were left frustrated waiting for answers or alternate arrangements.
Renfe is redirecting travelers heading to Barcelona from Figueres and Girona to Rodalies services while Adif technicians assess the incident. Ouigo trains, meanwhile, will cover the section between Madrid and Camp de Tarragona.
Travelers affected by the disruptions will be able to change or cancel their tickets free of charge.
According to Adif, it is not possible to establish an alternative service by road "because of the bus companies' own logistics."
Catalan police have arrested a 19-year-old man in relation to the incident. The arrest was made in the town of Santa Oliva, in the Baix Penedès county, south of Barcelona.
The Mossos d'Esquadra have kept the investigation open and do not rule out more arrests.
The act of vandalism took place last morning. "Around 2:30 a.m., communications, signals, falling object detectors, and other safety devices alarmed between Arboç and Figueres," Adif spokesman Dani Martínez explained to the Catalan News Agency.
Technicians have traveled to different points of the route and have detected several cuts in the fiber optic cables in the two tracks. Adif "strongly" condemned the act of vandalism.
Several Adif teams are working to have the services returned to the high-speed rail line as quickly as possible, while the company also highlights the "severity" of the damage done as well as the complexity of the tasks to replace the damaged infrastructure.
Uncertainty among passengers
There was a sense of resignation prevailing among passengers in Barcelona's Sants station returning from vacation, while those hoping to begin their holidays felt an overwhelming sense of uncertainty due to the lack of information and the risk of missing flights.
"We had a train to Madrid because tomorrow we travel to Costa Rica and we have a flight from there," Cristina explained to the Catalan News Agency. She didn't rule out the possibility of taking a car directly to the Spanish capital.
"We have no choice but to hold on, we can't do anything. All I want is to take the train and go to Paris," Lluís said.