A high-speed OUIGO service encountered a significant disruption this Wednesday afternoon near the Serra Llarga tunnel, between Serra Llarga and Roda de Berà in the Tarragonès region of Tarragona. The incident involved 461 passengers, 6 crew members, and 1 engineer, and prompted rapid coordination between the railway operator and the infrastructure manager to manage the situation and ensure passenger safety. After a joint assessment with Adif, a locomotive was dispatched to tow the damaged train to Camp de Tarragona, where passengers were then transferred to a second convoy bound for Barcelona.
The rescue convoy, heading toward Barcelona-Sants, was initially expected to arrive around 5:00 PM. Some travelers reported the incident occurred shortly before 4:30 PM. Passengers found themselves inside the tunnel for more than three hours, with many expressing frustration on social media about the perceived lack of timely communication from the company about delays and the evolving situation.
Civil Protection activated the Ferrocat pre-warning system, while officials confirmed that train circulation in the area remained uninterrupted. The disruption was caused by a defect in the affected segment, which operates on a single track; as a result, service normalization was projected to take until the following day, with delays affecting the broader high-speed network.
In the initial moments, the operator described the event as a technical stop and stated that engineers were working to secure the train trailer and resolve the issue as fast as possible before conducting further evaluations.
OUIGO reported that the route from Serra Llarga to Roda de Berà carried 461 passengers, 6 crew members, and 1 engineer, and stressed that traffic was not interrupted overall as response measures were implemented.
The public communications channel for the event included a post from Civil Protection noting the pre-warning plan, accompanied by a shared image from Ferrocat. The post underscored the ongoing management of the situation by authorities and the railway operator.
Subsequently, the same convoy was scheduled to depart again at 5:40 PM. The Barcelona-Sants to Madrid connection experienced a delay, and all affected travelers were informed of the revised departure time via email notifications.
OUIGO reiterated that passenger safety and the overall travel experience are among its top priorities. In line with its compensation framework, the company announced that all affected travelers would receive a full refund of their tickets, reflecting its commitment to customer restitution in the wake of the disruption. The incident prompted a broader review of on-site communication practices and contingency planning to minimize the impact on travelers in future similar circumstances.