On March 17, 2025, the cancellation of a planned strike by train drivers failed to alleviate the turmoil that commuters experienced on the Rodalies and Regional train services throughout Catalonia.

Early morning services were characterized by unexpected train cancellations, particularly impacting routes from Tarragona to Barcelona.

Commuters faced a frustrating hour and a half without any trains bound for the capital during peak morning hours, despite Renfe's earlier commitment to operate a train every thirty minutes after significant construction work had concluded.

Civil Protection activated a pre-alert for Ferrocat due to the accumulation of people at various train stations caused by the disruptions.

Passengers reported increasing frustration as delays turned into cancellations without clear communication from Renfe.

One commuter waiting at the Tarragona station at a temperature of seven degrees noted that their thirty-minute delay swiftly escalated to a full cancellation.

The political backdrop to the travel issues was marked by an agreement intended to safeguard workers' rights at Renfe and Adif, which was supported by the Catalan government, Comuns, and ERC parties, while facing criticism from Junts and opposition from the PP. Oriol Junqueras, during the ERC national congress, urged Junts to set aside criticisms to facilitate broader negotiations with the central government regarding Catalonia’s unique funding and the transfer of Rodalies services.

However, the appeal elicited swift backlash, particularly from JxCat spokesperson Josep Rius, who described the strike cancellation agreement as a ‘death certificate’ for the Rodalies transfer.

Rius claimed the real issue lies not with the operational model of Rodalies under Renfe but in the Generalitat's alignment with the PSOE party.

Conversely, Junqueras asserted that the agreement with the central government remains intact, cautioning that the government must adhere to these commitments to secure future cooperation.

He set a deadline of two years for reaching a resolution with workers, hinting at the urgency of addressing the ongoing disruption.

Support for the agreement came from PSC and Comuns, with vice-secretary Lluïsa Moret characterizing it as a significant step towards the Rodalies transfer.

Sílvia Paneque, the Territory Councillor, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the need to align the workforce and the operational decisions with Catalonia’s governance.

Despite the positive assessments, Aina Vidal from Catalunya en Comú pointed out that the ongoing issues highlighted the difficulties in differentiating between strike days and regular service disruptions, calling for improved measures to address the persistent service problems.

The secretary general of the PP in Catalonia, Santi Rodríguez, attributed the travel troubles to incompetence rather than a lack of competencies from the Generalitat, emphasizing the need for effective management to ensure reliable service for passengers.