The new trains will enhance airport and regional connectivity
The Catalan railway operator Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC) is preparing to launch a new express train service connecting central Barcelona with Barcelona-El Prat Airport in 2026. The company gave a presentation at the Tomorrow Mobility World Congress and released details of the new trains, which Alstom and Stadler are currently manufacturing.
At the Tomorrow Mobility World Congress, FGC’s project director, Albert Tortajada, confirmed that testing will begin in late 2025. Alstom is building the ten airport trains in its factory in Vallès Occidental, near Barcelona. These trains will be “more classic, sturdier and wider” than FGC’s existing models.
According to the press release, each train will have five cars with 20 doors (10 on each side) and a capacity of 656 passengers, including 209 seats. The doors will have red and green lights indicating closure and opening to aid passengers with hearing impairments. Inside, the trains will feature 20 panoramic screens displaying train information and nine panoramic screens with information about airport arrivals and departures. There will also be ample storage space for luggage. Outside, 12 LED screens will display information to passengers on the platforms.
The trains will be fully accessible, with no steps between the platform and the train car and automatic ramps at the doors close to the areas designated for passengers with reduced mobility. Each train will have two spaces reserved for people with reduced mobility and two multifunctional spaces for bicycles, strollers, and other large items.
The new airport line, after renovating the existing infrastructure currently operated by Rodalies, is expected to open in 2026 and will run every 15 minutes. It will cover the distance between Passeig de Gràcia station and Terminal 1 in less than 20 minutes. The 22.7 km line will have nine stations: Sant Andreu, Sagrera, El Clot, Passeig de Gràcia, Sants, Bellvitge, El Prat, Airport T-2, and Airport T-1.
In addition to the airport service, during the presentation, FGC also announced plans to operate a new service between Lleida and Manresa starting at the end of 2025. This 120 km line will see 12 daily departures in each direction between Lleida and Cervera, with five of these trains continuing to Manresa. Stadler is currently building four three-car electric trains for the Lleida-Manresa service. These trains will have 12 doors, 164 seats, and a total capacity of 439 passengers. They will feature similar accessibility and passenger information systems to the airport trains. FGC plans to hire 70 new train drivers to staff the new services.
The cost of the ten airport trains is €107 million, with an additional €50.9 million for 15 years of maintenance and €19.5 million for constructing a maintenance workshop. The four Lleida-Manresa trains will cost €44 million, with maintenance costs over 15 years totaling €21.2 million.
