Barcelona - Salou - No trains running?

[Class73Electro]

Hi - Quick query, hopefully someone might know!

Flying into Barcelona for a weekend break and staying in Salou. have done this before and we got a train from Barcelona to Salou (and back again). However, using the Renfe website, it shows only three morning trains 08:33, 10:33 and 12:33, which just show "train not running". Can't seem to get anything afterwards. Are there no trains running at the moment?

https://venta.renfe.com/vol/buscarTrenEnlaces.do?c=_1xYZ < Hopefully a link to the route planner

Thanks!

 

[James H]

Salou's main station closed in 2020

Try the Rodalies website for regional Catalan trains rather than the Renfe site.

 

[Starmill]

As above, you can take an express or local train to Vila-seca or Cambrils or a local train to Salou Port Aventura.

Rodalies and Media Distancia trains in Catalonia are often not shown in the main journey planner and thus not bookable online. However you can find the times in the Rodalies site, and you can try Google Maps. I would cross check if using Google Maps though.

Unfortunately compared to the old station location this may mean you need to use a bus or a taxi to reach your actual destination. At least it's not far.

Ave and other express trains also serve Camp de Tarragona which is just half an hour from Barcelona Sants, but unfortunately unless hiring a car the location of this station is very unlikely to be convenient.

 

[Paul AC]

As others have said, the old line through Salou closed in January 2020 when services were diverted via the new line some distance to the north. The replacement station, Salou - Port Aventura is a short distance out of 'town', and has a shuttle service from Tarragona or beyond - with just a few through services to/from Barcelona Estació de França. Present timetable at https://rodalies.gencat.cat/web/.content/02_Horaris/horaris/R17RT2.pdf

All Rodalies timetables can be downloaded as PDFs from https://rodalies.gencat.cat/ca/horaris/tots-els-horaris/ (Catalan) or https://rodalies.gencat.cat/es/horaris/tots-els-horaris/ (Spanish) and use a translation tool as necessary - don't try the English language page as this often shows old timetables. Same applies to the rest of the Rodalies site, in my experience.

There are Rodalies network maps at https://rodalies.gencat.cat/es/linies_estacions_i_trens/planols-de-la-xarxa/

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 8 Apr 2026 ==

Salou and Cambrils presumably regret the loss of the convenient railway through their town centres (though they won't regret the loss of the through freight traffic), as plans are afoot for a new standard gauge tramway connecting them and Vila-seca, and eventually as far as Tarragona and Camp de Tarragona high speed station. If you can wait a few years (!) ..... Wikipedia article, with phase 1 map, at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TramCamp

 

[HS2isgood]

You can't find the trains in the Renfe search function because there's works between Sitges and Garraf. To travel to Salou Port Aventura, there's 2 different ways:

1. Take a R2 Sud train from Barcelona to Sant Vicenç de Calders then a R17 train (or two trains changing at Tarragona)

2. Take a R2 train to El Prat de Llobregat, then the rail replacement bus (faster than R2 all the way) to Sant Vicenç de Calders, then as point 1 to Salou Port Aventura.

Trains and the train - bus combination run every 30 minutes between Barcelona and Sant Vicenç de Calders. Trains run every 60-90 minutes between Sant Vicenç de Calders and Salou Port Aventura, most of them requiring a change at Tarragona, although there's 3-4 directs.

 

[Class73Electro]

Thanks everyone - very much appreciated. Last time I went was 2018 - hadn't appreciated there'd been so much change!