An AI-generated map places Sabadell on the Maresme coast and draws nonexistent train lines, such as a direct connection between Igualada and Tàrrega.
Economist Miquel Puig shared on his X account a map of the Catalan railway network created by ChatGPT, which has sparked criticism for its numerous mistakes. The map, which aimed to show travel times from Barcelona to the county capitals with train stations, contains gross geographical errors and outlines railway lines that do not exist in reality.
One of the most striking errors directly affects Sabadell: the city appears to be located almost in Maresme, when in fact it is in Vallès Occidental. Other towns like Reus are shown nearly touching Montsià, and Vilafranca del Penedès appears with direct access to the sea. Mataró is placed directly in the middle of the Mediterranean. Puigcerdà is drawn within France and Balaguer in Aragón.
The county borders also show distortions: Solsonès and Alt Urgell appear unified, just like Pallars Sobirà and Jussà with Alta Ribagorça. In contrast, Montsià and Baix Ebre are shown as divided. ChatGPT also includes Andorra within the territorial limits of Catalonia.
Invented train lines
The map of the Catalan railway network, which starts from Barcelona, contains routes that do not correspond to reality. According to the AI, to get to Tortosa one must pass through Falset, when the actual route runs along the Tarragona coast. In fact, the journey from Falset to Tortosa requires passing through Tarragona.
The R3 line of Rodalies, which connects Barcelona with Vic, does not pass through Terrassa as indicated by ChatGPT. Nor is Sabadell on the route between Barcelona and Granollers, which are linked by the R2 and R2N lines. The AI also invents a stop in Valls for travel from Barcelona to Reus, and draws a direct Sants-Valls route without passing through Vilanova i la Geltrú. Additionally, it creates a line to Tàrrega via Igualada, a service that does not exist.
Unreliable travel times
The aim of the map was to inform about travel times from Barcelona-Sants to the county capitals with train stations. However, the figures provided by ChatGPT also do not match reality. According to Verificat, the fact-checking platform that analysed the map, the AI underestimates the speed to get to Balaguer: it estimates about two and a half hours, when the actual AVE journey to Lleida and the RL1 takes 1 hour and 48 minutes. To get to Valls, ChatGPT calculates an hour and a half, when connecting the AVE with a bus can get you there in an hour.
Verificat, a non-profit entity that verifies public discourse and is part of the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN), has pointed out that these errors demonstrate the limitations of artificial intelligence in accurately representing geographical and railway information. The map, despite its anecdotal nature, has generated intense debate on social media about the reliability of such tools.
For Rodalies users in Sabadell and Vallès Occidental, the map not only offers an incorrect location for their city but also ignores the real connections of the network, such as the R4 line that links Sabadell with Barcelona via Terrassa. The R3, which does pass through Sabadell, is not correctly represented in the ChatGPT drawing.
You may also like
