The recurrent storms in eastern Spain that led to massive flooding last week and killed at least 217 people, mostly near Valencia, dumped rain on Catalonia on Monday, prompting the authorities to suspend the commuter rail service. ALSO READ: Spanish royals, PM and regional president pelted with mud by flood survivors.
Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente said he was suspending all Rodalies commuter trains in Catalonia, on request from civil protection officials.
Cell phones in southern Catalonia blared with an alert from the Catalan Civil Protection authority for ‘extreme and continued rainfall’ on the southern outskirts of Barcelona. The alert urged people to avoid any normally dry gorges or canals. The alert was sent to residents in the Baix Llobregat, Barcelonès, Garraf, Maresme, Vallès Occidental, Vallès Oriental, and Selva counties of Catalonia, where more than three million people reside.
Puente said that the rains had also forced air traffic controllers to change the course of at least 15 flights operating at Barcelona’s airport, located on the southern flank of the city [see ‘Airport partially flooded’ below].
Thunderstorms during the night had already impacted transportation, and early in the morning, R2 South and R4 South train lines and those going to Lleida had been suspended.
The heavy rain continuing on Monday morning then forced the authorities to cancel all Rodalies de Catalunya lines from 10.30am onwards, ‘to guarantee the safety of passengers’.
Authorities also suspended the high-speed train network due to flooding in the tunnel crossing the municipality of El Prat de Llobregat, which was reinstated less than an hour later.
The general alert will remain in place until at least 2pm when the Catalan government will reassess the situation.
Affected passengers were not being offered an alternative means of transport given the state of the region’s roads under the heavy rain.
Several highways were also closed due to flooding. One of the worst situations occurred on the C-32 highway near the town of Castelldefels (main image) just over 20km from Barcelona and near to the airport. The roads in both directions were flooded with water and some cars partly submerged. By 14h, the road had been cleared, according to local reports.
Barcelona city itself was also affected with floods in several areas. The main Diagonal avenue that dissects the centre of the city was filled with water, although it reportedly didn’t stop traffic. Classes were also cancelled in Tarragona, in southern Catalonia, after a red alert for rain was issued.
Airport partially flooded
Barcelona El Prat Airport was also experiencing serious problems due to the rain, including flooding some parts of the infrastructure. Footage showed water streaming in from some parts of the ceiling into the terminals and passengers pushing their suitcases in an inch or two of water.
Many flights were diverted to other airports and there are cancellations and delays taking place. Passengers were being advised to check with their airlines if their flight is going ahead.
Spain’s airport manager AENA reported that the airport is still operating and that almost 20 flights had had to be diverted to Girona-Costa Brava, Reus, Toulouse and Palma de Mallorca. Over 50 had to be cancelled or had considerable delays.
Pluja intensa a les comarques de Tarragona i Barcelona. S’ha suspès tot el servei de Rodalies i hi ha hagut afectacions a l’aeroport del Prat. Hi ha diverses carreteres tallades i Protecció Civil demana evitar la mobilitat a les comarques afectades https://t.co/nkBMlbfejb pic.twitter.com/J64ps0QHAf
— 324.cat (@324cat) November 4, 2024
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