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Renfe apologises for eclipse chaos: 'We don't have any more trains'
The surge of travellers heading to Tarragona to see the eclipse overwhelmed the R15 y R16 de Rodalies lines. Renfe has apologised to those affected and admits that the extra services were insufficient, though it maintains that it does not have more trains available to increase capacity without affecting other lines.
The company had previously reinforced the two most in-demand routes. On the R15, capacity increased from around 1,000 to 1,600 seats, a 60% rise, while on the R16, capacity doubled from about 1,800 to 3,600 seats.
This increase was not enough to cope with the thousands of people travelling to Tarragona and the Terres de l'Ebre to be within the path of totality. Stations such as Tarragona, Torredembarra y Altafulla saw large crowds, long waits, and difficulties accommodating all passengers on the return journey.
The day became even more complicated due to an infrastructure incident near Castelldefels in the afternoon. The issue temporarily reduced service to two trains per hour in each direction, just as many travellers were trying to reach southern Catalunya before the eclipse.
Renfe maintains that it used all available rolling stock and argues that taking trains from other lines would have shifted the problem to other users of the network. The lack of rolling stock thus emerges as one of the main limitations in responding to extraordinary events that concentrate demand into a few hours.
The return journey again put the system under pressure. With so many people still waiting at stations after the eclipse, an additional train was eventually put on during the night to pick up those who had not been able to board earlier services. Protección Civil even activated a pre-alert of the Ferrocat plan due to the crowds.
The episode has also sparked a debate about planning. The Generalitat has acknowledged that the railway mobility forecast was insufficient, especially given a much higher concentration of travellers than expected at certain times.
The eclipse was exceptional, but images of packed platforms and overcrowded trains once again highlight a much more everyday problem. Rodalies can lengthen trains for a specific day, but unless it has more rolling stock, responding to sudden increases in passengers will continue to mean choosing between reinforcing some lines or maintaining the rest of the network's service unchanged.