Video posted on Twitter showed damage to the front carriage and driver's cab after the train apparently failed to stop and hit buffers at the Spanish city's Franca rail station.
Eighteen people were transferred to hospital with five of the injured said to be in a serious condition. Officials said the driver was among the wounded. No fatalities were reported.
The train was coming from Sant Vicenc de Calder's village in the province of Tarragona on the R2 line of the Rodalies commuter rail service, emergency services said, The Independent reported.
The cause of the crash was not immediately known.
Firefighters and paramedics were dispatched to the station to treat the injured.
Photos showed passengers being stretchered away with others still lying on the platform floor.
The state of Catalonia activated its Civil Protection Plan after the crash.