Around 21,000 daily R3 train users face adding 20 to 30 minutes to their journeys when a massive 16-month closure starts on Tuesday. The line shuts between Montcada Bifurcació and La Garriga for track doubling works, forcing thousands onto replacement buses.
Right now, Renfe is running empty bus services to calculate exact journey times, test entry routes to towns, and fine-tune stop locations. The aim is to keep delays as short as possible and minimise disruption to overall traffic flow.
However, Renfe spokesman Antonio Carmona admits the reality is simple. Whenever you add a transfer, it means extra time, he said. The bus network tries to create the minimum hassle possible, but delays are inevitable.
To stop passengers getting lost in the first few days, Renfe will station 90 staff at main transfer points to provide information and directions to the correct buses.
The replacement transport plan centres on two main hubs. At one end sits Fabra i Puig station in Barcelona, at the other is Centelles station. Meanwhile, Granollers-Canovelles in the middle has become the second major nerve centre and has received extra buses.
Renfe’s setup includes 58 buses providing 43,500 daily seats. The service runs direct buses between the endpoints, stopping services, and hourly complementary routes from La Garriga.
If frequencies fall behind schedule at any point, Renfe has nine backup buses stationed along the C-17 road ready to jump in. Three will wait on Carrer Pintor Alsamora near La Meridiana, three more in Centelles, two in Mollet, and one at the northern end in Vic.
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