Barcelona has ten suburban railway lines — and in this video, we ride every single one of them. From beaches where the tracks run just meters from the Mediterranean to snowy Pyrenean valleys, this network is far more diverse than anyone expects. You’ll see Spain’s very first railway from 1848, dramatic coastal tunnels, busy metro-like commuter corridors, and even trains that change gauge to continue into France. With three different track gauges and rolling stock ranging from retro classics to double-deckers and high-speed units, Barcelona might have the most fascinating suburban system in Europe.
We explore mountain lines like the “Train of Snow,” industrial valleys, freight bypasses with almost no passengers, and elegant standard-gauge routes through lush hillside suburbs. From the mysterious orbital R8 to the scenic metre-gauge lines beneath Montserrat, this journey reveals hidden places you’d never visit otherwise. Beaches, borders, ski resorts, and secret freight tracks — this is Barcelona’s suburban railway network like you’ve never seen it before.
Video Courtesies:
Renfe S-447 R11 llegando a Portbou y saliendo para Cerbère – foxspain
La estaciones de Portbou y Cerbére – Paso fronterizo en decadencia – José Luis García
[HD] R3 matinal – Al&Co Photo
R3： LaTour de Carol-La Molina – Al&Co Photo
[HD] Snowlies – Al&Co Photo
Music:
Hara Noda – 1982
Rand Aldo – Paint Me with Courage
34 Comments
Thanks for the lovely video. I'm not a huge railway fan, but I thoroughly enjoy your commentary and attitude regarding "CAD" and "wind tunnels".
In some of your videos I feel that you are almost talking through tears. In this video these are tears of joy.
Great high-quality video, thanks 🙂
this system never arrives on time but I'm glad we have it still
beautiful videos of the trains
You make beautiful videos.
To add a few things.
1. Whether the older Rodalies trains look better or not is a matter of taste but soon new trains will replace many of them as 72 Alstom Coradia will arrive in 2026/7.
2. U shape lines are pretty common and if you have to get between the two end points you need other transport means, like a different line or a bus. BTW, that's not the end of the R4, there are different services and the line continues further. In any case, a true orbital line that will bypass Barcelona is in the planning stage and will start at Mataró. It will use existing lines with new sections.
3. Althoght the L'Hospitalet de Llobregat station will remain the tracks will be moved underground immediately after. The tracks of R2 will also move underground and both will meet in a new Torrassa station including a connection to L1) before going to Sants.
4. Rodailes de Catalunya are now under the management of the Generalitat. It was the main demand to support the current government. The workers objected to the change but they found a solution where they remain under Renfe but the Genralitat is in charge.
5. Both the FGC S1 to Terrassa and S2 to Sabadell both have a connection to R4, both lines also serve as a metro in both cities.
6. The R3 traks are being duplicated so there are segments with replacement busses (or the R4 in one section). Not all R3 trains continue into France and if you go there you should try the yellow train on the French side, it starts at the same station.
Начало похоже на Сочи
Molt bon vídeo, guió i una millor edició i seqüències. No soc gaire de fer comentaris, però quan la feina està ben feta s'ha de reconèixer. Enhorabona i espero que en facis més d'aquest estil!
Daily user of the R4 line… Well, at least when it runs which lately is not always certain.
I was hoping / expecting also some ride footage of the FCG lines, not just some last minute exterior added shots
Beautiful video, congratulations!!
Some excellent shots/transitions during the video, great production value!!
8:54 Not socialist housing, but housing built during fascism in Spain.
What a nice video, although nowadays Rodalies de Catalunya is the WORST suburban train system in Spain: punctuality sounds like a myth and the infrastructure is in a very poor state. FGC suburban lines, however, almost always works perfectly since it has better maintenance than iberian gauge lines, and delays are not that usual since it is an isolated system and the service pattern is easy to operate. 10/10.
Awesome video man. I was just in Barcelona last month and didn’t ride on the Rodalies trains but I saw the signs for them and was curious about how they work. Perfect for me!
Aren't the Barcelona – Portbou MD trains operated by Class 449?
thank you i ride R1 109 times and its awesome also R11 also has 449 trains that are only to figueres and girona.
Hii! I'm from arround here too and love trains, I can give you some cool footage of trains I've got if you need some.
Cover the rest of the FGC Network! They work much better/on schedule than rodalies and have some very interesting routes, especially the case of the RL1 and RL2 routes that FGC recently took over from Renfe, and immediately bought new trains, new infrastructure and line usage is up 200%
I loved the video. I’d love to learn how do you do this type of 3D editing
You should learn more about the architecture of Bellvitge.
The river that flows through Martorell is the Llobregat. The Anoia River flows into it, but only the R4 bus crosses it, and only before Martorell, coming from Vilafranca del Penedès.
Nice video.
1:30 – 1:33
i love this transition <3
What’s the deal with all the graffiti?!
I know Mediterranean countries tend to not remove graffiti very often, but this amount is ridiculous 🫣
Hello, I live in Martorell. Congratulations, good video !
R8 was built for the nuclear waste way to France in the 80s.
8:45 the worst line, a complete nightmare, always late and if you plan to go anywhere using it better plan 1 extra hour with all the delays
Where did you get that shirt?!
wdym Civias are ugly??! They're the best of Rodalies…
That totally unexpected seamless transition from inside the train to the drone shot was insane
9:30 Socialist mass housing? In Spain? Are you sure about that?
Bon vídeo i PUTA RENFE
La R8 és útil pels que anem a la Universitat (UAB), però això quan funciona, que ara anem en bus
Excellent video. I've been travelling bi-annually from the UK to Northern Spain, Blanes, since 1987 and have seen many changes. From the days of the Talgo's wheel sets at the border being manually changed to the continuing spat between the French and Spanish rail companies, that is still ongoing. Who else would build a direct route under the Pyrenees then hardly utilise it? FFS!
Buen video.seria interesante un video sobre trenes cremallera y funiculares de cataluña😊
Great video! It's always very interesting to see the railways I'm uses to through the eyes of an outsider.
Pretty much the entire conventional (not high speed) network has seen little attention and investment for many years. As such, it has degraded significantly. Recently, major maintenance and renovation works have begun, but their "don't interrupt service while we work" approach often makes the trains run even worse.
The tragedy of the Gelida accident is proof of the current situation, made even worse by climate change.
Line R4 also sees a lot of freight traffic between St. Vicenç de Calders and Castellbisbal. You wouldn't believe how bad the freight trains run. It's unjustifiable given the importance of Barcelona's maritime port.
Also, I get the appeal of older boxy trains, but modern colorful units are cool too 😉
If you talked with any Renfe user, or did a tiny bit of research, you would know that paradise is completely wrong and out of place for this 3rd world country railway system.