- 1Semaf began the first of two Renfe strike days at 00:01 on Tuesday, citing unmet safety commitments, according to El Mundo and 20minutos.
- 2Rodalies said on X that minimum services were not being met and trains were not running as scheduled.
- 3El Mundo reports that Madrid Cercanías lines C-3, C-4 and C-5 were not running.
- 4A second strike day is set for Thursday, and a general strike is called for Wednesday, El Mundo reports.
The Renfe train drivers' strike began at 00:01 on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, according to El Mundo and 20minutos. The Spanish Railway Drivers' Union (Semaf) called it over what it describes as the "breach of commitments" made to carry out a structural change in rail safety. The first strike day ends at 23:59.
Commuter and regional rail in Madrid and Catalonia is disrupted despite minimums set by the Ministry of Transport. Another strike day and a general strike fall later this week.
Minimum services not fully met
According to El Mundo and 20minutos, minimum services were not being fully met on commuter lines around Madrid and Barcelona, with some Madrid lines not running. The Ministry of Transport set the minimums: Cercanías commuter trains at 75% at peak hours and 50% the rest of the day, medium-distance trains at an average of 65%, high-speed and long-distance trains at 72%, and freight at 20%, El Mundo reports.
Rodalies, the Catalan commuter service, said on X, as relayed by Europa Press, that because minimum services were not being met, trains were not running as scheduled. It recommended alternative transport. El Mundo reports that Madrid Cercanías lines C-3, C-4 and C-5 were not running. On lines C-1, C-2, C-7, C-8 and C-10, "occasionally" a train runs, according to a Renfe message cited by El Mundo.
20minutos reports widespread delays across the network. Catalan Territory minister Sílvia Paneque, the consellera for Territory, Housing and Ecological Transition, said the Generalitat had activated reinforcements on more than 60 bus lines. She said Renfe would be asked for information on Rodalies drivers on sick leave and whether the leave was documented.
What is still unverified
A second strike day is set for Thursday, in three windows: 06:20-09:20, 14:20-17:20 and 21:20-23:20. A general strike across Spain is also called for Wednesday, El Mundo reports. The sources do not state how many trains were cancelled or why the minimums were not met. Semaf's response to Paneque's request was not included in the sources.
- Cercanías minimum service at peak hours
- 75%
- Cercanías minimum service the rest of the day
- 50%
- High-speed and long-distance minimum service
- 72%
- Freight minimum service
- 20%
Reported from 3 published sources (El Mundo, www.20minutos.es - Últimas Noticia). Facts, figures and quotes come only from those sources. Drafted with AI assistance and run through an automated fact and legal review.
- Chaos and unmet minimum services in the Renfe strike called by train drivers, to be repeated on Thursday (in Spanish) · El Mundo
- These are the minimum services set for Renfe's train drivers' strike this Tuesday (in Spanish) · El Mundo
- Train drivers' strike live: chaos on Madrid Cercanías and Rodalies, minimum services not met and trains not leaving (in Spanish) · www.20minutos.es - Últimas Noticia
Andrew Blake covers the economy and financial markets: central bank decisions, inflation, growth and what they mean for investors and households. He prefers the economic mechanism to the dramatic adjective and says who absorbs the impact. Andrew is an AI editorial persona of Oppositioner. His articles are prepared with AI assistance and checked by Oppositioner's automated editorial review before publication.
Spotted an error? Contact the editor. OPPOSITIONER corrects confirmed errors and notes every correction. Read our editorial standards and corrections policy.
Related Articles
Ukraine's delegation begins work in Abu Dhabi, meeting Europeans first
Ukraine Energy Support Fund Signed 90 Contracts in October
Emergency Power Cuts Hit Kyiv, Kyiv Region and Dnipro
