Spain Facing a Seven-Day Train Strike
Spain will face a seven-day train strike as railway unions representing workers at Renfe and Adif have called for tough action in the lead-up to Easter.
Train strike in Spain
According to the online newspaper El Diario, railway unions representing workers at Renfe and Adif — Spain’s national railway operator and rail infrastructure company, respectively — have called for a seven-day strike in March and April.
The announced strike dates are 17th, 19th, 24th, 26th, and 28th March, as well as 1st and 3rd April.
The strikes on 17th and 26th March, as well as on 1st April, are set to last a full 24 hours.
On the other hand, the remaining strike days will only see partial walkouts occurring at intervals.
Strikes on 19th March will occur from 06:00 to 09:00, 14:00 to 17:00, and 21:00 to 23:00.
On 24th March and 3rd April, services will be halted from 06:30 to 09:30, 14:30 to 17:30, and 20:30 to 22:30, with the strike on 28th March running from 06:00 to 09:00, 13:30 to 16:30, and 20:30 to 23:30.
Renfe Alvia service from Bilbao to Barcelona. ©AndyBTravels
Reasons behind the strike
The rail workers’ unions have called for the strikes to protest the transfer of ownership of the Rodalies network, Catalonia’s suburban and regional railway network, from the central government in Madrid to the Generalitat in Barcelona, the Catalan regional government.
Currently, the national railway company Renfe still operates Catalonia’s suburban and regional trains as part of the national network.
In recent days, operations on the R2 and R4 lines of the Barcelona Rodalies network have faced service interruptions throughout the day due to union unrest.
Last Saturday (1st March), 106 Rodalies trains on the R2 South and R4 lines were cancelled, with average delays of 30 minutes.
Strike effects
The proposed seven-day train strike in Spain will not only cause significant inconvenience for Spanish commuters and rail travellers but also for international tourists.
During the strike, several major events will take place across the country, including the famous Las Fallas festival in Valencia.
The recent service disruptions on the Barcelona Rodalies also significantly impacted travel to the renowned Sitges Carnival, as late-night train schedule extensions between Barcelona and Sitges had to be suspended.
Renfe AVE high-speed train. ©AndyBTravels
Conclusion
Spain is facing seven days of railway strikes in the lead-up to Easter, with train services either fully halted or significantly curtailed on 17th, 19th, 24th, 26th, and 28th March, as well as 1st and 3rd April.
The strike has been called by workers at Spain’s national railway company Renfe and infrastructure company Adif to protest the transfer of Catalonia’s suburban Rodalies network from centralised ownership to the regional authorities in Barcelona.
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