Renfe strike today: 320 trains cancelled across Spain as railway workers walk out
The 24-hour action affects high-speed, long-distance, medium-distance and commuter services, with a second strike day already confirmed for July 15
If you're travelling by train in Spain today, check your ticket before you leave the house. The Railway Union has called a 24-hour strike running through Monday June 29, and 320 trains across the Renfe network have already been cancelled as a result.
The disruption is spread across all service types. High-speed and long-distance trains are operating at 73%, meaning 98 of the 360 scheduled AVE and long-distance services won't run. Medium-distance trains are down to 65%, with 222 of 642 journeys cancelled. Commuter rail is the most affected outside peak times, running at just 50% for much of the day, though that rises to 75% during the busiest periods: 6.00am to 9.00am, 1.30pm to 4.00pm and 6.30pm to 8.30pm.
Those peak-hour minimum services cover the metropolitan areas of Madrid, Asturias, Cantabria, Galicia, Castile and León, Seville, Cádiz, Málaga, Valencia, Alicante, Murcia and Zaragoza.
For passengers travelling between Alicante and Madrid, around five trains in each direction may be cancelled on top of the nine secured in each direction as minimum services. If your train is affected, Renfe is offering a free change or cancellation through its usual sales channels, or the option to travel on the next available service.
The timing couldn't be worse. Today coincides with the start of the summer holiday exodus for many families, and the Ministry of Transport has flagged the "particular disruption" this creates. A second strike day has already been called for Tuesday July 15, which will hit at the peak of the holiday season.
The dispute is rooted in the future of Renfe Mercancías, the company's freight division. The Railway Union accuses Renfe of "premeditated abandonment" of freight services and opposes a planned 50/50 joint venture with Medway, a subsidiary of the MSC shipping group, which the union says offers no guarantees for workers. The union also points to Renfe's decision to outsource maintenance of 65 locomotives that had previously been handled in-house, and the announced permanent closure of the rolling stock workshop in Miranda de Ebro.
Underpinning all of this is the union's claim that agreements reached with the Ministry of Transport in November 2023, which called off a series of planned strike days at the time, have simply not been honoured.
"All these breaches are the result of the unjustifiable neglect of freight operations at the public company Renfe, and are causing serious harm to the workforce that must be addressed immediately," the union said in a statement.
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If you're travelling by train in Spain today, check your ticket before you leave the house. The Railway Union has called a 24-hour strike running through Monday June 29, and 320 trains across the Renfe network have already been cancelled as a result.
