Barcelona is exploring the construction of several new intercity bus stations. This aims to manage a historic surge in road transport, largely due to the persistent failures of Catalonia’s Rodalies commuter rail network. City and regional authorities are now jointly studying plans for major new transport hubs, many of which will be underground. These hubs will prevent coaches and commuters from overwhelming central streets.
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The shift from rail to road has been dramatic. According to Laia Bonet, President of Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) and the city’s Deputy Mayor for Mobility, intercity buses now bring more people into Barcelona each day than the train. “The interurban bus already moves more people to Barcelona than Rodalies: 380,000 daily trips compared to the train’s 260,000,” Bonet wrote in an article for El País in late February.
She argued this change in commuter habits is not a fleeting trend. “The lack of confidence in the train has made many users choose the bus because they know that with it, they will arrive on time,” she explained. Years of underinvestment and frequent disruptions led to dwindling trust in the Rodalies de Catalunya service. For example, the recent R3 line works collapsed, culminating in a major crisis after a train accident in Gelida on 20 January. This incident caused days of widespread chaos, forcing the deployment of nearly 400 buses to ferry stranded passengers.
A Network of New Hubs
Faced with this new reality, the Barcelona City Council and the Generalitat de Catalunya are developing a strategy to formalise the city’s bus infrastructure. The goal is to build several organised stations to replace the ad-hoc stops that currently crowd busy streets. These plans, contingent on budget approvals, focus on key entry points to the city, including Plaça d’Espanya, Avinguda Diagonal, Gran Via, and the transport nexus of La Sagrera.
To minimise the impact on public space, authorities prefer these stations to be built underground. According to a spokesperson for the Generalitat’s Department of Territory, a new bus station at La Sagrera is a key priority; it will integrate with the future high-speed rail station. Additionally, plans for a third major station at Plaça d’Espanya are advancing. “The project could be drafted this year, once the budgets are approved,” the spokesperson confirmed.
This Plaça d’Espanya hub is planned as a large, subterranean interchange beneath the Fira de Barcelona exhibition halls. It would connect with the Metro and the FGC rail lines, which are currently extending to link the Baix Llobregat and Vallès lines. If timed to coincide with the centenary of the 1929 International Exposition, the project could be completed within three years. Ultimately, this new facility would also lead to the closure of the smaller, existing bus interchange at Sants station.
Long-Term Vision for Mobility
Authorities are also considering a fourth station along the Diagonal corridor. An initial proposal suggested a location in the Zona Universitària, but a site closer to Plaça de Francesc Macià remains a possibility. This station would also be underground and designed to allow seamless interchange with the city’s bus, metro, and tram networks. However, the future of a potential fifth station on Gran Via is less defined, with no specific location identified yet.
Antoni Balmón, Executive Vice-President of the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB), underscored the urgency of these projects. In December, he warned that a full “update” of the Rodalies network could take decades. He stated that the only immediate way to “alleviate the collapse of mobility” was by “incorporating more buses.”
The rail network’s reliance on road transport is highly significant. Consequently, the national operator, Renfe, has announced plans to create its own bus company to manage service disruptions more efficiently and economically. This move highlights a systemic acceptance that buses will play a crucial, long-term role in regional transport.
While the existing stations at Nord and Fabra i Puig will remain operational, authorities are evaluating their modernisation, including potentially moving the Fabra i Puig facility underground. As Barcelona grapples with this transport paradigm shift, these ambitious infrastructure projects, much like the planned Diagonal tram connection, ultimately depend on political will and budgetary allocation to become reality.
