FGC presents first Terrassa to Lleida service FLIRT EMU
posted on 29th Sep 2025 09:19
On 19 September 2025, at Pla de Vilanoveta depot in Lleida, FGC present its first new Class 312 FLIRT EMU, one of a batch of four ordered from Stadler Valencia in 2021 for 44 million EUR, the deal including a 15-year, 21.2 million EUR maintenance contract. Unit 312.01 arrived at Pla de Vilaveta from València on the 18th.
The four 3 kV DC, 140 km/h, 439-passenger (165-seat) trains are destined for Lleida to Manresa and Terrassa services (Lines RL3 and RL4). FGC is scheduled to take over these from Renfe, under contract to the Generalitat de Catalunya, in mid-2026. Deliveries of the remaining three trains are scheduled for the period from November 2025 until April 2026. One difference from original proposals is that is that FGC’s services are now to be extended from Manresa to Terrassa (thus enabling connections with FGC’s Metro de Vallès services into central Barcelona (Plaça Catalunya).
The 14 intermediate stations between Manresa and Lleida are currently managed by Adif. FGC is currently in negotiations with the infrastructure manager with a view to taking over management of these. This will enable FGC to install its own real-time passenger information systems and CCTV monitoring. The operator also has plans to build more halts, adjacent to centres of population which currently have no rail services.
One of these is Sidamon, a village with a population of around 770, situated adjacent to the railway, between Mollerussa and Bell-lloc d’Urgell, just to the east of Lleida, which could well become a generator of commuting traffic. At its western end, from Sant Guim de la Rebassa, the line forms part of the Lleida Rodalies network which was created in March 2015.
On-board features include audible warnings of entrance door opening and closing, and also visual warnings – green lights indicating that the doors are opening, red ones, that closing is about to start. There are 15 text panels – five in each car – providing travel information, together with 16 loudspeakers in each car. Further origin/destination information is provided on six text panels on the exterior of the bodyshells, and one at each end, above the cab windscreen.
Wheelchair spaces and a PRM-accessible WC cubicle are provided, the doors adjacent to the wheelchair spaces being equipped with automatically-operated ramps. ‘Next stop’ request buttons are provided adjacent to the wheelchair spaces, which are situated in the intermediate car.
FGC plans to offer seven train pairs daily between Lleida and Cervera (Line R3), five of which will be extended as Line R4 to Terrassa. This is a significant increase on Renfe’s offer, which, between Cervera and Manresa, was very sparse, suggesting that the line would one day close. FGC has hopes that within a few years annual ridership on the route will top one million.
At Pla de Vilanoveta depot the facilities are being upgraded to cater for EMUs, in addition to FGC’s three DMUs used on Lleida to La Pobla de Segur services. New facilities include a wheel lathe and a train washer. Early in 2026 a management centre is to be established there, incorporating driver training simulators.
FGC also has a contract to operate Rodalies services between El Prat airport (Barcelona) and Sant Andreu Comtal (23 km). For this new quarter-hourly service ten EMUs are on order from Alstom, and it is envisaged that around 40 new drivers will be required. For the Terrassa to Lleida services, FGC plans to take on around 20 drivers.