Public transport has managed to put an end to the impact that covid had on its operations. After the record figures for Barcelona's metro and bus, Rodalies joins the trend after registering 130 million passengers in 2023, surpassing pre-pandemic figures for the first time. Renfe's commuter service in Catalonia grew by 1% last year compared to 2019, when 128.5 million passengers were transported, a slight increase in line with data from Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB).
Rodalies trains have been gradually regaining the trust of travelers since the outbreak of the pandemic. In 2020, with the lockdown and successive waves, they moved 66.7 million passengers, a figure that represented a year-on-year drop of 48%. From 2021, figures improved, with 82.8 million in 2021, a 24% year-on-year increase, and 108.6 million in 2023, a 31% year-on-year increase.
A health crisis that was added to the political storm surrounding its management, intensified in recent months. Despite this, Rodalies closed 2023 with a growth of almost 19.5% compared to the previous year, moving 21 million more users. An increase that is understood, as in the case of the metro and bus, by the discounts on ticket prices, with the gratuity of the service for frequent users in the case of Rodalies trains. In Catalonia alone, Renfe issued 2.4 million passes last year.
With these results, 2023 becomes one of the best years in Rodalies' history. If we look at passengers in the Barcelona area, 120 million passengers were transported, only behind 2005 (121.5 million) and 2006 (122.8 million). In the case of regional services, those going to Portbou, Tarragona or Lleida, 9.8 million users were reached, the second best record, surpassed by that of 2011 (10.1 million).