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A train on test runs has been keeping Badalona residents awake for weeks
A train parked just a few metres from homes in Badalona has been generating a constant noise for several weeks, especially bothersome at night. Complaints have reached the City Council, which has just formally asked Rodalies to stop the tests at this location or move the train to a place further from the houses.
The train is on a siding near Badalona station, opposite Eduard Maristany street and between Marina and Colom streets, next to the site where the old MOBBA factory stood. Adif has told the council that the train is there for technical tests.
The problem, however, goes beyond this single train. Residents of Eduard Maristany say they have been putting up with running engines, braking, manoeuvres and other railway work on this track for months. Some nights, according to their accounts, the activity goes on until four in the morning.
The situation has been especially difficult during the summer. Residents explain that opening the windows to cool down means letting in the sound from the tracks, which are very close to the buildings. With no permanent solution in sight, they have also started a petition.
The fourth deputy mayor of Badalona, Sònia Egea, has sent a letter to the general director of Rodalies de Catalunya, Òscar Playà. The City Council is asking for two alternatives: to stop the tests at this location while they continue to cause disturbance, or to move them to another area where there are no homes immediately nearby.
The council has also requested a noise measurement. It wants to carry out sound level tests to find out how many decibels the railway activity is actually generating and to check whether the limits set by noise pollution regulations are being respected. For now, there is no public measurement to confirm whether those limits are being exceeded.
Another party is also involved in the tests. According to information given to residents, some of the trains used still belong to the manufacturer Alstom, which is carrying out checks before they enter service. Renfe says it has passed on the complaints to those responsible for these operations.
Rodalies has acknowledged that certain technical checks can cause noise disturbance and says it will look into measures to reduce their impact during rest hours, including possibly reorganising operations when technically possible. For now, however, no date has been announced for removing the train or for stopping the use of this track for tests.
Residents want to avoid the siding next to Eduard Maristany becoming a regular site for train repairs and testing. The next step will depend on the response from Rodalies and the sound level tests requested by the City Council.