BarcelonaMore than 3,000 regular Renfe users in Tarragona have decided to abandon the train and change their mobility habits to save themselves the headaches caused by the Rodalies works in this area. Since last October 1st, improvement work on the Mediterranean Corridor has caused disruptions that affect 15,000 passengers daily in Camp de Tarragona. Of all those affected, according to data from the same company, 20.3% have decided to leave and have not even joined the alternative plan that Renfe has proposed to cover the journeys, with other train routes or with numerous buses to road
The other 79.7% of users have continued to make daily journeys with the alternative plan: the majority, who are those traveling from Tarragona, have had to change to the bus (63%), and the rest have able to avoid the works by train (37%). There are also more than 300 passengers from Camp de Tarragona and a hundred who travel daily from Tortosa who have preferred to take advantage of the Avant train service that the operator put in place to also mitigate the effects of the works.
Renfe assures that “a 20% reduction in demand is usual in any significant modification of the service” and, therefore, considers that the loss of passengers due to these works is normal.
Five times more passengers on the direct bus to Barcelona
But how do these 3,000 passengers who have left Renfe get around now? The operator says it does not know what new habits these users have acquired, but the private bus companies that make direct journeys between Barcelona and Tarragona have noticed a clear increase in clientele.
According to data collected by the ACN, around 285 people use the new express lines daily, which have gone from three to nine a day since October 1. Since then, 735 T10/120 cards have been sold, which also went live last week. “It’s the only way to make sure you’ll arrive on time,” one of the users of this new service told ACN. In total, users of the direct bus have increased fivefold since the start of the works.
The Department of Territory reinforced this service between Tarragona and Barcelona with the aim of complementing Renfe’s alternative plan. It also launched the new cards, which have a bonus and allow you to save about 70% on the average regular price. “I decided not to try [el pla alternatiu de Renfe] because I imagined it would be even more chaotic than usual,” a university student who regularly uses train services to travel told ACN. “I prefer to take two hours, but make sure I have a seat and that I arrive,” he concluded.
