A second marathon meeting between Transport Minister Óscar Puente and the railway unions SEMAF, UGT and CC OO ended without agreement on 5 February. The unions confirmed they will proceed with a 72-hour strike from 00:00 on 9 February until 24:00 on 11 February, affecting Renfe, Iryo, Ouigo and multiple freight operators.
The walkout is a response to two deadly derailments in Adamuz (Córdoba) and Gelida (Barcelona) that killed 47 people last month and exposed what unions call ‘decades of under-investment’ in signalling and track maintenance. They demand €1.5 billion in urgent safety upgrades, 2,000 new technical staff and faster replacement of ageing rolling stock.
![Talks Fail to Halt 9-11 February National Rail Strike, Threatening Business Travel Across Spain]()
Under minimum-service orders published in the BOE, 73 % of high-speed and long-distance trains and 65 % of medium-distance services must run, while commuter services will operate at 75 % during rush hour and 50 % at other times. Cargo trains will see a 25 % cut. Even with these guarantees, corporate-travel managers should expect cancellations, limited seat availability and cascading delays.
Multinationals are re-routing essential personnel to air and road transport, but those channels will also be strained. The strike coincides with the start of Mobile World Congress set-up in Barcelona and pre-Carnival tourism peaks in Cádiz and the Canary Islands, multiplying the economic impact.
The walkout is a response to two deadly derailments in Adamuz (Córdoba) and Gelida (Barcelona) that killed 47 people last month and exposed what unions call ‘decades of under-investment’ in signalling and track maintenance. They demand €1.5 billion in urgent safety upgrades, 2,000 new technical staff and faster replacement of ageing rolling stock.
Under minimum-service orders published in the BOE, 73 % of high-speed and long-distance trains and 65 % of medium-distance services must run, while commuter services will operate at 75 % during rush hour and 50 % at other times. Cargo trains will see a 25 % cut. Even with these guarantees, corporate-travel managers should expect cancellations, limited seat availability and cascading delays.
Multinationals are re-routing essential personnel to air and road transport, but those channels will also be strained. The strike coincides with the start of Mobile World Congress set-up in Barcelona and pre-Carnival tourism peaks in Cádiz and the Canary Islands, multiplying the economic impact.
Source: Europa Press
