The first day of the stoppage was marked by a conflict over figures. While the majority train drivers' union, Semaf, claims 100% participation among workers not assigned minimum services, the operator Renfe reduces the impact to just 11.6% during the morning shift. This chaos has affected key hubs such as Madrid, Barcelona, and València.
The tourism sector already describes the decreed minimum services as «insufficient» to curb the reputational deterioration of train travel in Spain.
The conflict, which will last until Wednesday, February 11, has led to a decisive meeting at the Ministry of Transport. The unions CCOO, UGT, and Semaf demand an urgent increase in investment in safety and maintenance following recent accidents in Adamuz and Gelida.
Regarding guaranteed services, High Speed and Long Distance trains are running at 73%, while Commuter Rail maintains 75% during peak hours. Beyond passenger inconvenience, the background is structural: unions are urging the Ministry of Finance to authorize funds to renew the fleet and stop the outsourcing of workshop workloads.
