Plaça Catalunya train station evacuated for second false alarm in a row
Facility fully reopens after police confirms object sounding like a clock with cables not bomb, one day after similar incident
Barcelona's Plaça Catalunya train station was evacuated on Tuesday evening for approximately one hour for a second day in a row, until it reopened shortly after 7pm.
A worker at the metro station spotted an object ticking like a clock with some cables in a bin and the police decided to take action and send both their Tedax explosive experts and police dogs.
Yet, all the means the law enforcement used to investigate the object, also including a robot, confirmed it was not a bomb, but an anti-theft alarm system.
The police ordered for trains to be halted at around 6pm local time, and while Rodalies commuter train network informed that the service had gone back to normal shortly afterwards, the Catalan police, Mossos d'Esquadra, continued working in the facility.
"We are working in Plaça Catalunya metro station, looking into a suspicious object. Our specialists are checking it to guarantee the safety in the place," said the Mossos, as metro L1 and L3 were also closed.
Indeed, shortly before 7pm, Adif, the authority ruling over the train infrastructure, said the service was still disrupted and some trains were being diverted to Passeig de Gràcia station.
Bus services in the area and FGC trains also saw their service altered and were avoiding Plaça Catalunya after 6pm. One hour later, FGC had already restored their normal routes.
Second day in a row
Lines R1, R3 and R4, the ones going through the centric station in the capital, were disrupted for a second consecutive day.
On Monday, rail and metro services momentarily halted after a false alarm over a bomb threat at around 5pm.
Police ordered the premises to be evacuated as a precaution after receiving a threat that a train coming from Viladecavalls was carrying a bomb.
On Tuesday, a "similar incident" occurred, according to Rodalies commuter train network.