Spanish train drivers’ strike to go ahead after fatal crash

Spain’s train drivers’ union will go ahead with a 24-hour strike at Renfe on Thursday, 29 October, despite Wednesday’s fatal train crash near Urda in Toledo. The walkout was called before the crash, and the union says it is striking over railway safety and stalled agreements with the authorities and rail operators.

The Spanish train drivers’ and assistants’ union, Semaf, said it would maintain the action while expressing deep concern about the crash. It said it would not speculate about the cause while the circumstances were still being established. The collision involved a Renfe train and an Iryo train on the Madrid–Seville high-speed line.

The strike is due to run from 00:01 to 23:59 on Thursday across Renfe group companies. Semaf says progress has stalled on safety measures, emergency procedures for severe weather, recruitment, support for workers involved in collisions and the reliability of rolling stock. The union also wants changes to risk communications and a direct channel with rail safety and labour inspectorate bodies.

Renfe disputes the union’s case, saying some demands fall outside the company’s powers and are not included in the collective agreement signed in July. The company says it has fully met the commitments made in February to strengthen the rail system after the Adamuz crash, and says it has hired more than 1,200 workers.

The Transport Ministry has set minimum service levels during the strike. Commuter services are to run at 75% of normal levels during peak periods and 50% at other times; medium-distance services at an average of 65%, high-speed and long-distance services at 73%, and freight at 26%.