Major disruption on Catalonia’s R3 line: Thousands of buses to replace trains from October

Rail passengers in Catalonia are being warned to brace for long-term disruption as Renfe and Adif prepare to close a key stretch of the R3 Rodalies line for major modernisation works. Starting  October 7, trains between Parets del Vallès and La Garriga will stop running for 16 months, with 43,500 daily bus seats provided to keep commuters moving.

Thousands of buses to replace trains on R3

The R3 line, which links Barcelona with the interior of Catalonia, will undergo a long-awaited double-tracking project to ease congestion and improve reliability. The works, covering 17 kilometres between Parets and La Garriga, are expected to last until January 2027.

In the first phase, from October 2025 until May 2026, train services will be suspended between Montcada-Bifurcació and La Garriga. During this period, Renfe will operate a fleet of 58 buses running up to every 10 minutes at peak times. Three direct routes will connect Centelles, La Garriga and Parets with Barcelona, alongside a service that will stop at all local stations.

The alternative bus services will terminate at Barcelona’s Fabra i Puig station, offering passengers onward connections with the metro (L1) and other Rodalies lines.

What happens after 2026?

Once the first stage is complete, attention will shift to the stretch between Mollet Santa Rosa and La Garriga. This second phase, set to run until January 2027, will continue to rely on extensive bus services.

Direct buses will link Centelles and La Garriga with Barcelona, as well as Centelles with Mollet Santa Rosa. In addition, a stopping service will ensure smaller towns on the route remain connected.

While disruptive, the €multi-million upgrade is seen as vital to tackle chronic overcrowding on the R3 and to align the service with growing demand in the Vallès region.

Other Catalonia rail works to watch

The R3 closure is just one part of a busy calendar of railway upgrades across Catalonia.

• Castelldefels station: The new station is due to open at the end of September, reorganising tracks on the R2 South and regional lines to reduce bottlenecks. During works, services between Gavà and Sitges will be replaced by buses running every 10–15 minutes.
• Vic station: A short closure on October 4–5 will affect trains between Vic and Balenyà-Tona-Seva. Renfe will provide 10 replacement buses.
• Montcada i Reixac tunnel: A 4 km, three-track tunnel is under construction to remove level crossings. Works on  September 20–21 will see trains suspended between Mollet-Sant Foix and Barcelona-Sant Andreu.
• Catenary renewal on R11: Sections between Figueres and Portbou will be closed on several weekends in September, October and November, with 22 buses deployed each time.
• Garraf tunnel maintenance: From January, trains between Garraf and Sitges will be disrupted for three months due to essential works on sea-exposed structures.

A long wait for smoother journeys

For daily passengers, the thought of nearly two years of disruption may be daunting. But railway chiefs insist the works will bring a ‘step change’ in reliability and capacity once completed.

When the double-tracking is finished in early 2027, trains will finally be able to run more frequently and with fewer delays – a long-overdue improvement for one of Catalonia’s busiest commuter routes.

Until then, travellers will have to get used to buses, patience and plenty of traffic.

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