Cancellations at Barcelona airport and multiple train lines cut due to torrential rains

The heavy rains that hit Catalonia on Thursday morning caused major disruption across the transport network.

At least 47 flights were canceled at Barcelona-El Prat Airport, with two additional flights diverted and numerous delays reported.

"The bad weather and strong storms affected operations and forced safety measures to be put in place at the airport," the ENAIRE control centre said.

Among the affected flights were Vueling services to Rome, Málaga, Manchester, London and Palma, as well as several Iberia connections to Paris and Lisbon.

The two diverted flights were arriving from Washington DC and Philadelphia and were forced to land in Madrid.

Flights to Belgrade (Air Serbia), Birmingham (Jet2) and Frankfurt (Lufthansa), as well as to Vienna (Swiss) and Paris (Air France), sustained significant delays.

According to Flightradar24, average departure delays reached 47 minutes, while arrivals were delayed by 78 minutes.

Airport operator AENA advised passengers to check the status of their flights directly with the airlines.

Train lines cut

The heavy rains also caused disruptions across the Rodalies commuter rail network, with service cuts on four different lines.

The R4 line was suspended between Sabadell Sud and Terrassa Est, with a replacement bus service in place. Service was resumed around 12 midday but delays of up to 25 minutes were reported.

The R15 line was cut from early morning until 1:30pm between Ascó and Móra la Nova after part of a wall collapsed onto the tracks.

Services on the R13 and R14 were suspended between Lleida and Riu Milans due to a loss of power in the catenary system.

Replacement buses operated between Lleida and Tarragona.

Meanwhile, there were also delays on lines R2, R14, R15, R16 and R17 between Barcelona Sants and Bellvitge-Gornal, due to an incident unrelated to the heavy rain.

At Sants station, which is currently undergoing renovations, water leaked through the ceiling. Staff had to close parts of the station concourse for cleaning.

Roads closed

On the roads, the C-17 highway was closed for a significant period in Mollet del Vallès between kilometers 11 and 12 in both directions, with detours set up through local streets and the C-33.

The BP-1413 in Cerdanyola del Vallès was also closed. Traffic authorities have issued warnings for drivers to exercise caution on the B-30 near Cerdanyola and the junction with the C-58.