About twenty activists from Promoció del Transport Públic and the Xarxa de Plataformes d'Usuàries de Trens de Catalunya displayed banners on the platform of the Passeig de Gràcia station this Thursday against the future R-Aeroport line. The protest was directed against the planned route between Sant Andreu and terminal T1, a connection that Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya will manage.
The users' opposition centers on a paradox. While Rodalies struggles with capacity problems in the Passeig de Gràcia tunnel, through which the R2, R2Nord, R2Sud, and all Regional trains already pass, the new connection to the airport will add at least four more services per hour in each direction at that same point.
The platforms reject a line to the airport in a tunnel that is already at its limit
From the station, Álvaro Porro, spokesperson for the R2Nord users on behalf of all Rodalies user platforms, criticized the project and stated that the Generalitat wants to implement a "premium" line for tourists on a saturated infrastructure.
"The Generalitat wants to put a new 'premium' line for tourists in a tunnel that is already at its limit" - Álvaro Porro, spokesperson for the R2Nord users on behalf of all Rodalies user platforms
Porro also argued that the Passeig de Gràcia tunnel is one of the system's bottlenecks and warned that the increase in frequencies could affect the punctuality of the services already running through it. The platforms also released a statement in which they called it shameful that this is the only railway expansion for Rodalies in recent decades.
The future line will connect Sant Andreu with T1 via a new branch being built by Adif at a cost of about 400 million euros. FGC plans to apply a specific fare, another point that the organizing groups reject.
During the protest, Porro argued that the airport already has connections by metro, train, and bus. His proposal is to reinforce the R2Nord, which currently reaches terminal T2, instead of creating a differentiated service.
The PTP asks to integrate the connection with the R2Nord and the future R4Nord
Carles Garcia, vice-president of the PTP, demanded that the service not be designed only for Barcelona and should consider the entire Barcelona Metropolitan Area. In that scheme, the connection to the airport should be provided by the R2Nord and, later, by the R4Nord from Manresa and Vallès.
Garcia specified that the rejection does not depend on whether the operation falls to Renfe or FGC, but on the chosen design. The debate, therefore, is not limited to the change of operator, but to the use of an infrastructure that already concentrates an important part of the rail traffic entering and leaving the center of Barcelona.
The environmental group Zeroport, which opposes the airport's expansion, also participated in the action. Its spokesperson, Claudia Custodio, argued that the new line seeks to bring more tourists to the airport and does not respond to the needs of the majority of the population.
FGC plans to start the R-Aeroport in early 2027 with five Alstom trains
The president of FGC, Carles Ruiz, announced in an interview with El Periódico that the R-Aeroport will begin operating in early 2027. If this schedule is met, it will be the second section in Catalonia where trains of the public company of the Generalitat run on Adif infrastructure, after the RL3 and RL4 lines of Rodalies de Lleida planned for autumn.
For this service, FGC will have five new Alstom trains. The trains will be wider, have spaces for luggage and screens with flight schedules, and will add at least four more services per hour and direction in the Passeig de Gràcia tunnel.
The demonstration lasted ten minutes and ended when Adif employees approached the Passeig de Gràcia platform to ask the activists to clear the area.