Renfe Faces Multiple Strike Days with Mandatory Minimum Services

Spain's railway operator Renfe is facing three consecutive days of strikes starting on Tuesday, November 10, bringing widespread disruptions to commuter, medium-distance, high-speed, and freight services. The Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility has established mandatory minimum services across the national territory to mitigate the impact of the industrial action.

The labor unrest stems from a combination of separate protests called by the Spanish Train Drivers Union, known as Semaf, for Tuesday, November 10, and Thursday, November 12, alongside a separate general strike planned for Wednesday, November 11. These actions follow an earlier strike on October 29 driven by union grievances regarding safety protocols, staffing contracts, and equipment reliability.

For commuter rail services, commonly known as Cercanías, the government has mandated that 75 percent of the regular schedule must operate during peak hours, while 50 percent must run during the rest of the day. The designated peak hours are established from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., and 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., applying across all three days.

For Medium-Distance trains, the established minimum service averages 65 percent of normal operations. Meanwhile, High-Speed and Long-Distance services face slightly varying restrictions depending on the specific date. Minimum services for high-speed and long-distance routes are set at 72 percent for Tuesday and Thursday, and rise to 73 percent for the general strike on Wednesday. Freight services will operate at 20 percent of their scheduled capacity during the Semaf protests and 26 percent during the Wednesday general strike.

The ongoing labor friction has already generated significant operational challenges outside of the formal strike days. In Catalonia, the director of Rodalies, Òscar Playà, reported widespread delays and service alterations, including the suspension of the R7 line. Playà explained that because workers broke previous scheduling agreements, the network was forced to implement regulatory work shifts requiring operators to begin and end their duties at the Sants station in Barcelona, regardless of where their assigned routes actually started.

Playà appealed to the responsibility of the train drivers to guarantee the remaining operational service and advised passengers to seek alternative travel methods, describing the week as "very complex" for mobility. Travelers at major transportation hubs have expressed frustration over the ongoing delays and indicated plans to switch to private vehicles.

Private operators are also impacted by the disruptions. Ouigo announced the cancellation of eight specific routes for the November 11 general strike, offering affected passengers ticket exchanges, full refunds, and an additional non-refundable compensation equal to 50 percent of the ticket cost. Renfe has formally expressed regret for the inconvenience caused to travelers, and transport officials continue urging commuters to check specific route schedules before attempting to travel.