Two demonstrations against Rodalies chaos on Saturday

Rodalies commuter train users will take to the streets of Barcelona on Saturday in two demonstrations called to denounce the poor service offered in the railway system. 

Rail service has been blighted by weeks of disruptions, ever since a trainee driver was killed following a crash after a retaining wall fell onto the tracks during a storm in January. The Rodalies commuter train network in Catalonia will not resume full service until April, operator Renfe confirmed on Friday.

The first protest is organised by the Catalan National Assembly (ANC) and the Council of the Republic, two pro-independence organizations that say splitting from Spain will be a solution to the train problems. 

The demonstration will take place at 12 pm, starting at the Rafael Casanova monument, before proceeding towards Sant Jaume square.

Under the slogan ‘Without trains there is no future’, the second demonstration is organized by around 20 different unions, associations, and user platforms, including major trade unions, CCOO and UGT. 

Their manifesto, calling for "a large-scale change in investment” and “a radical change in the management of the railway system,” has been signed by over 100 organizations.

Spokespeople for some of the 20 organising groups told the Catalan News Agency that the commuter rail network has "hit rock bottom" and is "not at all reliable," adding that "the trains should work."

The second demonstration will begin at 5 pm at the Estació de França train station.

Anna Gómez, spokesperson for the platform Dignitat a les Vies (Dignity for the Rail Lines) said that "this is a service that deserves investment and should be a leader in the country. Now it is not just that it does not work, we are letting it slowly die."

Regarding there being two demonstrations on the same day, Gómez says that the morning one "is ideological," while the afternoon one "is sector-based, to talk about trains." 

"They believe that independence is the way to strengthen our railways. But even if independence came tomorrow, the trains would not be running properly the day after – these are long-term projects." 

In light of Friday’s farmers’ protest and the two demonstrations planned for Saturday, the Barcelona City Council has recommended avoiding car travel this weekend.