Spain: Storm Knocks Out Barcelona’s Control Tower and Stops Commuter Trains

October 7, 2026 — Update to our October 6 story. Tuesday evening’s storm caused an electrical failure in the control tower at Barcelona-El Prat, cancelling more than 30 flights. On Wednesday morning, train drivers refused to run Catalonia’s commuter trains until they saw safety reports. Service was returning by the afternoon, and more storms are forecast for Thursday.

What happened

Airport, Tuesday evening: Operations at El Prat stopped for at least an hour. Airport operator Aena blamed voltage problems in tower equipment during the electrical storm. Metrópoli Abierta reports more than 30 cancellations, with flights diverted to other airports. Other outlets give higher figures that we could not confirm.
Ryanair said about 2,000 of its passengers were affected and called it the second tower failure in two months.
Flooding: Civil protection sent a mobile-phone alert for torrential rain on the coast. Firefighters rescued more than 21 people trapped in vehicles, mostly on the C-12 near Xerta in southern Catalonia. Several roads were closed.
Train struck: At about 11:25 pm a tree and an embankment fell onto a commuter train near Vilanova i la Geltrú. About 100 passengers were moved to another train. No one was hurt.
Wednesday morning: The drivers’ union Semaf refused to operate until it had seen infrastructure safety reports. There was almost no Rodalies service in the morning peak, and 200 replacement buses were not enough.
Wednesday midday: The union accepted the reports and lifted its action. Renfe forecast 90% of service by the afternoon.

Line status on Wednesday

Line	Status
R2 Nord (airport)	Running with disruption between the airport and Granollers Centre; buses on to Sant Celoni
R2 Sud	Single track between Cunit and Sant Vicenç de Calders
R7	No trains; use bus e3
R1, R3, R4, R8, R11, R13, R14, R17, RT2	Buses replace trains on some sections

Status comes from Wednesday press reports. Verify with Renfe before you travel.

What comes next

Thursday, October 8: Local broadcaster Betevé expects a final round of locally intense storms, mainly on the Barcelona coast and the southern Costa Brava. Official warning levels for Thursday were not available when we checked (TBA).
From Friday, October 9: Dry and stable weather is forecast.
General strike: Spain’s two largest unions agreed on October 5 to call a 24-hour general strike this autumn. No date has been set (TBA).

What it means for airline travelers

Flying through Barcelona on Thursday? Expect delays if storms return. Check your flight before leaving for the airport.
Do not rely on one way to reach the airport. Keep the Aerobús, metro line L9 Sud or a taxi as a backup to the R2 Nord train.
Standby travelers: Tuesday’s cancellations pushed revenue passengers onto later flights, so loads may be heavy for a day or two. Madrid is the alternative gateway.
Day trips by train toward Manresa, Vic and the coast remain unreliable until Adif finishes repairs.
If your flight was cancelled, ask the airline about rebooking or a refund under EU passenger rules.