Eight cut cables at Fabra i Puig delay the R4 and R7 Rodalies lines

The R4 and R7 Rodalies commuter rail lines have been delayed since early on Friday by the cutting of eight cables that affected signalling between Fabra i Puig and Montcada Bifurcació stations, 3Cat reports. The cut happened at around 05:30 and, according to the same source, no material was actually taken: the Mossos d'Esquadra, Catalonia's police, are investigating it as an attempted theft.

According to 3Cat, Renfe puts the delays at 30 minutes on average and warns that trains may be held as they approach the affected point, while Adif, Spain's rail infrastructure manager, has workers carrying out repairs. Rodalies set up replacement road services between Manresa and Terrassa Estació del Nord (R4), between Sant Vicenç de Calders and Vilanova i la Geltrú (R2 Sud) and between Cerdanyola del Vallès and Cerdanyola Universitat (R7), and shortly after 10:00 added another between Maçanet-Massanes and Blanes (R1) because of «operational incidents».

Because of the cable cut and the shortage of train drivers, 68 scheduled trains did not run until midday, according to 3Cat. The R1, R2, R2 Nord and R2 Sud lines are also running 30 minutes late, which Renfe attributes to «operational incidents». It is the seventh consecutive day of widespread disruption on the network.

Catalan regional minister for Territory Sílvia Paneque said on X that the Generalitat will file a complaint over the cutting of the eight cables and put at 40 the arrests made in three months under Pla Via, the plan against copper theft. Moncloa.com describes the cut as a copper theft; 3Cat specifies that nothing was taken. No date has been given for when the signalling will be repaired.