Rodalies de Catalunya
Rodalies de Catalunya (Eastern Calatan: [ruðəˈli.əz ðə kətəˈluɲə]; "Commuter Rail of Catalonia") is the main commuter and regional rail system in the Spanish autonomous community of Catalonia. It is administered by the Government of Catalonia and operated by the national rail operator Renfe Operadora. The system consists of 17 service lines chiefly centred in the Barcelona area, serving a total of 203 stations throughout Catalonia, with an average number of 1,000 trains running on it every day. In 2016, it had an annual ridership of 117 million.
| Rodalies de Catalunya | |
|---|---|
A Civia train in Rodalies de Catalunya livery making a service on Barcelona commuter rail service line R7 at Barcelona Sants railway station in 2011. | |
| Overview | |
| Area served | Catalonia |
| Transit type | Commuter rail, regional rail |
| Number of lines | 17 |
| Number of stations | 203 |
| Daily ridership | 350,000 on weekday |
| Annual ridership | 117 million (2016) |
| Chief executive | Mayte Castillo |
| Website | rodalies.gencat.cat |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | 1979 (as Cercanías Barcelona/Rodalia Barcelona) 1 January 2010 (as Rodalies de Catalunya) |
| Operator(s) | Renfe Operadora |
| Infrastructure manager(s) | Adif |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 1,668 mm (5 ft 5+21⁄32 in) Iberian gauge |
| Electrification | 3,000 V DC overhead lines |
Most part of the system is the precursor of several commuter and regional lines running on the Iberian gauge mainline network in Catalonia, which were formerly under the administration of the Spanish government. On 1 January 2010, as a result of the transfer of the administration of the Cercanías commuter rail system for Barcelona, known in Catalan as Rodalies Barcelona, the system was renamed "Rodalies de Catalunya". One year later, Renfe's regional rail services within Catalonia were included in the system after their administration had also been transferred. In 2014, two new commuter rail services in Camp de Tarragona and the Girona area were created as part of the system on 20 and 24 March, respectively.
Rodalies de Catalunya, especially its Barcelona commuter rail service, has been criticised for its high number of incidents, normally resulting in delays, though some minor accidents involving injuries have also occurred. The Catalan government has pointed out as their main cause poor investment in the system's infrastructure, which is owned by Adif, a public agency of the Spanish government in charge of conventional (non-high-speed) rail infrastructure in the country.