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🇪🇸 Spain /Energy & Infrastructure

“They Have Condemned Us to Sleepless Nights”: Badalona Residents Rebel Against Train Noise

From La Vanguardia · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Residents of Eduard Maristany street in Badalona say train engines, maneuvers, braking and impacts continue until as late as 4 a.m.
  • They blame noise from Alstom testing trains near their homes and say Renfe, Adif and other authorities have failed to resolve the problem.
  • Badalona officials have asked for noise measurements and urged operators to stop or move the tests, while Rodalies acknowledges the disturbance and says technical checks are necessary for safety and reliability.

Residents of Eduard Maristany street in Badalona say they have been left without sleep by trains operating just meters from their homes. Engines, maneuvers, braking, impacts and movements can continue until 4 a.m., they say, prompting neighbors to collect signatures after months of complaints.

The problem has intensified since Alstom began using a dead-end section of Badalona’s tracks to test trains it manufactures. Residents say trains can remain there for long periods with their engines running, sending continuous noise directly into nearby homes. The situation becomes harder during the summer, when high temperatures force many families to keep their windows open at night.

“They have condemned us to sleepless nights,” affected residents say. They are particularly angry that the operations take place during normal sleeping hours and that explanations from the companies have not brought a solution. Renfe says the trains still belong to the manufacturer and that Alstom conducts the tests. The company also says it passed the complaints to those responsible in an effort to reduce the disruption.

They have condemned us to sleepless nights.

· Affected residentsResidents describe the impact of overnight train testing and operations near their homes.

For the residents, that response only shifts responsibility. “Who should answer when a train keeps its engine running all night a few meters from our home?” they ask.

Badalona City Council has forwarded complaints from residents in the area of the former Mobba factory, between Eduard Maristany and Colom streets, to Rodalies and Adif. It has requested a review and checks to determine whether noise levels exceed legal limits. Sonia Egea, the deputy mayor for Sustainability and Participation, has called for the tests to stop at the site or move elsewhere. The government of Xavier Garcia Albiol has also requested sound measurements. Rodalies acknowledges the disturbance, while maintaining that certain technical checks and rolling-stock tests are needed to ensure service safety and reliability.

Who should answer when a train keeps its engine running all night a few meters from our home?

· Affected residentsThey question which company or authority bears responsibility for the continuing noise.
About this summary

Originally published by La Vanguardia in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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