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Catalonia reinforces 13 bus lines amid growing numbers of travellers leaving Rodalies
This September, the Generalitat launched a second wave of reinforcements on Catalonia’s interurban bus network. Thirteen corridors gain more services, extended hours or new routes, under a €21.5 million emergency plan responding to the sharp rise in passengers.
A significant part of that growth is related to the loss of confidence in Rodalies, especially on corridors hardest hit by works, delays and breakdowns. The express bus network went from 22.7 million validations in 2019 to almost 32 million in 2025, growth of 41%.
Among the changes with the greatest impact around Barcelona is the reinforcement of the e3 line between Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès and the UAB. From Monday it will add 14 extra services and come close to 220 daily journeys in both directions combined. It is currently the interurban corridor with the highest number of passengers, with just over two million a year.
The service between Manresa and the Universitat Autònoma is also increasing. It will add 18 more journeys and delay the last departure for Manresa until 21:30, so that students who finish classes in the afternoon have a later return option.
Sabadell will likewise improve its connections with the UAB, while in Vallès Oriental the service between Caldes de Montbui and Hospital de Mollet is being expanded. This line adds three services and will also begin operating at weekends.
The plan is not limited to the metropolitan area. Among the new developments are two entirely new lines. One will connect Mediona with Sant Sadurní d'Anoia with eight services on working days, serving municipalities that until now lacked this direct connection.
The other new line will be the 502 between Guissona and Cervera. It will have 24 daily services in both directions combined and an expected journey time of around 22 minutes. One of its aims is to make rail connections from Cervera easier.
There will also be improvements on the Rupit-Vic, Vacarisses-Rellinars, Arenys de Munt-Hospital de Mataró, Sant Andreu de la Barca-Barcelona, Parets-Barcelona and Castellar del Vallès-Sabadell corridors. Growth in air traffic in Girona will also make it possible to strengthen buses connecting Vilobí d'Onyar airport with the city.
These 13 actions are part of a broader programme. Between April and August, five corridors had already been reinforced, and the Generalitat plans to act on around 50 routes by the start of 2027. Territori calculates that around eight million euros have already been invested in the first 18 improvements.
The Govern insists that the aim is not to replace rail structurally, but to reinforce routes where demand has grown most and improve connections with universities, hospitals and municipalities with few public-transport alternatives. The councillor Sílvia Paneque herself admits, however, that some of these reinforcements could remain even if Rodalies recovers reliability.