Spain hit by three-day train strike after deadly rail accidents

Rail services across Spain were disrupted on February 9 as train drivers began a three-day strike to protest what they describe as deteriorating safety conditions on the country’s rail network.

The walkout was called by the main drivers’ union, Semaf, following two fatal accidents in January. Forty-six people were killed when a high-speed train derailed in southern Spain’s Andalusia region on January 18, and another person died in a separate rail incident in Catalonia two days later, Bloomberg reports.

Talks between the government and rail unions failed over the weekend, prompting the strike to go ahead. Transport Minister Óscar Puente had sought to avert the action, but unions said their concerns had not been adequately addressed.

“This ongoing decline in rail safety is unacceptable,” Semaf said in a statement.

The strike has compounded existing disruption on Spain’s rail network, which has faced delays and cancellations in recent weeks following the January accidents. In Barcelona and the wider Catalonia region, commuter rail services have been regularly delayed or suspended as authorities inspect and repair tracks damaged in the January 20 crash.

Freight rail traffic has also been affected, with delays reported on routes linking Spain to France and to the ports of Barcelona and Valencia.

Spain’s rail network carries an average of about 1.4 million passengers a day across roughly 5,000 services. The country has more than 3,000 kilometers of high-speed rail, the world’s second-largest network after China, according to infrastructure manager Adif.

High-speed services have been particularly affected since the Andalusia derailment, with trains operating at reduced speeds to allow for safety checks, resulting in longer journey times.

The disruptions have increased political pressure on the government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, especially in Catalonia, a key political stronghold for the ruling coalition.

Spain’s commuter rail services are operated by state-owned Renfe, which is also the country’s main high-speed rail operator. Rail infrastructure is managed by another state-owned company, Adif. High-speed services are also run by Ouigo, controlled by the French state, and Iryo, which is owned by the Italian state.

By Sabina Mammadli