Spanish railway operator Renfe will suspend 320 train services on Monday June 29th, as part of the first of two strikes called by the country’s main rail workers’ union for this summer.
Rail workers in Spain are taking part in a 24-hour strike on Monday June 29th to coincide with the start of the holiday season, affecting its high-speed, medium-distance and commuter services.
According to the minimum services published by Spain’s Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Renfe will cancel 98 high-speed and long-distance trains out of the 360 scheduled for Monday, allowing 73 percent of the usual mobility.
Additionally, 222 of the 642 medium-distance trains will be cancelled, meaning that 65 percent of scheduled journeys will operate.
However, the operator is offering passengers the option of travelling on the train closest to their original departure time or, if they prefer, changing or cancelling their ticket free of charge through its usual sales channels.
Reports on Monday morning suggest Cercanías passengers in Madrid are the most affected, with travel delays of around 15 minutes but no major holdups yet across Spain’s train stations.
Renfe stated in a message posted on the social network ‘X’ around 8:30 am that participation in the strike has been “very limited, with only occasional disruptions.”
Spain’s Railway Union (SF) has called a second strike for July 15th, coinciding with another holiday exodus of workers across the country.
The labour dispute stems from a disagreement over the future of Renfe Mercancías (Renfe Freight). The union accuses the company of deliberately abandoning the service and opposes the creation of a joint venture with Medway, part of the MSC group.
The union also asserts that the labor rights of the workforce are being violated in the process of finding a strategic partner for Renfe Mercancías.
They added that the situation poses a “serious threat” to Renfe’s workforce and creates an atmosphere of uncertainty “without any guarantees for the workforce.”
