Circulation of the high-speed train link between Barcelona and Madrid has been entirely halted on Monday morning after the theft of a piece of rail equipment.

Adif, the company that manages railway infrastructure, explained that the services were disrupted from early in the morning due to a robbery of a cable between Arboç and Figueres-Vilafant.

Adif technicians are working on this incident to solve it as soon as possible.

Renfe is redirecting travelers heading to Barcelona from Figueres and Girona to Rodalies services while Adif technicians assess the incident. Ouigo trains, meanwhile, will cover the section between Madrid and Camp de Tarragona.

Travelers affected by the disruptions will be able to change or cancel their tickets free of charge.

According to Adif, it is not possible to establish an alternative service by road «because of the bus companies’ own logistics.»

The suspension of the trains comes hours after a breakdown in a train Ouigo would leave almost a thousand passengers stranded for more than three hours between the towns of Ariza (Zaragoza) and Medinaceli (Soria) on the Barcelona-Madrid route.

Adif confirmed that at 12:10 a.m. a company train ouigo stood between Ariza and Medinaceli. The train left Barcelona at 8:38 p.m. and should have arrived at Madrid at 11:30 p.m.

Travellers are advised to monitor the situation, anticipate rail delays, cancelations, and congestion, and seek alternative modes of transportation.