Crisis in Rodalies: what happened at the ADIF control center and why it is an alert for critical infrastructures

In recent days, the Rodalies service in Catalonia has experienced one of its most serious operational crises, with total service interruptions and a significant degradation of railway mobility. Although it has not been attributed to a computer attack, the problems registered yesterday in the ADIF control center have brought a key risk back to the table: the operational fragility of systems that manage critical infrastructures.

The episode had immediate consequences at the organizational level, with the dismissal of the operational director of Rodalies and the head of maintenance of ADIF, in a context of strong institutional and social pressure.

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What is known about the problems in the ADIF control center?

According to published information, most of the incidents recorded yesterday were related to operational failures in the ADIF control center, responsible for managing railway traffic and coordinating signals, detours and traffic on the network.

These problems caused:

• Complete service interruptions on several Rodalies lines
• Inability to restore normal circulation for hours
• Chain effects that forced trains to be suspended even in sections not directly affected

Renfe tried to initiate a partial normalization of the service, combining railway traffic and alternative road plans, although several sections continued to operate in a clearly degraded service scenario.

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A failure in the “brain” of the railway system

The ADIF control center acts as the operating core of the railway network. When this point fails, the impact is not local, but systemic:

• The ability to coordinate circulation in real time is lost
• Operational risk increases by not being able to manage incidents safely
• Any attempt to recover the service is slowed down or blocked

Although there has been no talk of a security breach or computer attack, the practical effect is comparable to that of a critical incident: loss of control, interruption of service, and public exposure to system fragility.

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Extraordinary measures to contain the crisis

To mitigate the impact on mobility, an exceptional device was deployed that included:

• 10 alternative transportation plans
• 146 buses to cover sections without railway service
• 700 informants at stations
• Activating free subscriptions for users

These measures made it possible to maintain minimum mobility, but they did not prevent the widespread perception of unreliability of the service, especially in a context of repeated incidents.

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Why this incident is especially serious in critical infrastructure

Rail transport is part of the country's critical infrastructures. A failure in your control center generates cascading effects:

1. Direct impact on labor and educational mobility
2. Economic losses for companies and administrations
3. Deterioration of public trust
4. Reputational and institutional risks

This case shows that not all critical incidents originate from a cyberattack: Failures in governance, maintenance, or continuity can be just as disruptive.

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How do these types of crises occur in control centers

Critical infrastructure incidents often respond to a combination of factors:

• Complex and aging technological infrastructures
• Cumulative maintenance deficits
• Dependency on multiple systems and actors
• Lack of fully tested continuity plans
• Limited capacity for early detection of critical faults

When the “central point” of control is not resilient, any local incident can quickly escalate into a generalized crisis.

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Key lessons for public and private organizations

The Rodalies crisis leaves lessons applicable to any entity that manages essential services:

• Business continuity isn't just technological, it's also operational
• Control centers should be considered critical first-tier assets
• Contingency plans must be realistic and tested
• Continuous monitoring is key to anticipating systemic failures
• Risk management must be aligned with executive decision-making

Waiting for the control center to fail to react is always the most expensive option.

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Operational resilience as a strategic priority

What happened at the ADIF control center reinforces a key idea: the resilience of critical infrastructures must be addressed as a strategic priority, not as a specific technical requirement. The ability to anticipate, resist and recover from interruptions makes the difference between a controlled incidence and a systemic crisis.

In Apolo Cybersecurity we help public and private organizations identify critical risks, evaluate their impact and design continuity and resilience plans aligned with frameworks such as ENS, ISO 27001 and best practices in operational risk management.