Spain woke up on Monday, 9 February 2026, to the first of three 24-hour rail strikes that immediately crippled commuter services in the country’s largest business hubs. From 00:00 the drivers’ union SEMAF and the federations of CCOO, UGT, USO and the Sindicato Ferroviario halted almost every Cercanías, Media Distancia and High-Speed departure operated by Renfe, Ouigo and Iryo. The walk-out is a direct response to the fatal collisions in Adamuz (Córdoba) and Gelida (Barcelona) last month, which unions blame on chronic under-investment and outsourced maintenance.
The Ministry of Transport set minimum service levels of 75 % during peak hours and 50 % at other times, but those thresholds were rarely met around Madrid-Atocha and Barcelona-Sants, where platforms were packed well beyond safe capacity. Corporate commuters reported two-hour queues simply to reach the turnstiles and many abandoned rail altogether for ride-hailing or private cars—adding unplanned congestion to Madrid’s M-30 ring-road and the capital’s emissions level. Logistics managers also scrambled: more than 150 freight paths were cancelled, disrupting just-in-time supply lines to the automotive clusters of Zaragoza and Valladolid.
Safety, not pay, is the central demand. Unions want an immediate 19 % increase in Adif’s infrastructure maintenance budget, faster recruitment of 2,400 permanent track and signal technicians, and a binding timetable for upgrading legacy signalling on conventional lines. Until now the government has concentrated resources on headline-grabbing high-speed extensions, leaving older commuter corridors with 40-year-old interlockings.
![Nation-wide rail strike paralyses Spain’s commuter and long-distance networks]()
For travelers who suddenly find their mobility plans upended, getting the right paperwork in place can be just as urgent as securing alternative transport. VisaHQ’s Spain portal (https://www.visahq.com/spain/) streamlines visa applications, NIE scheduling and other consular formalities online, so international staff and visitors can adjust appointment times or documentation deliveries without having to brave disrupted rail networks.
For employers the stoppage is another reminder that Spain’s impressive post-pandemic rail liberalisation still rests on fragile industrial relations. International assignees and short-term project teams who rely on fast AVE shuttles between Madrid and Barcelona—or on suburban links to technology parks in Málaga, Seville and Valencia—have been advised to build at least half a day’s contingency into travel schedules and to keep digital attendance options open. Renfe is offering free re-booking or refunds, but only on a first-come first-served basis, and tickets purchased through foreign travel-management companies must be reissued locally.
If no agreement is reached, unions say they will escalate to rolling 48-hour stoppages every week from March. Multinationals with large commuter populations are already dusting off the remote-work protocols used during the 2020 health crisis, while relocation providers warn that the strike will slow down NIE and TIE appointments because many immigration offices are reachable only by Cercanías.
The Ministry of Transport set minimum service levels of 75 % during peak hours and 50 % at other times, but those thresholds were rarely met around Madrid-Atocha and Barcelona-Sants, where platforms were packed well beyond safe capacity. Corporate commuters reported two-hour queues simply to reach the turnstiles and many abandoned rail altogether for ride-hailing or private cars—adding unplanned congestion to Madrid’s M-30 ring-road and the capital’s emissions level. Logistics managers also scrambled: more than 150 freight paths were cancelled, disrupting just-in-time supply lines to the automotive clusters of Zaragoza and Valladolid.
Safety, not pay, is the central demand. Unions want an immediate 19 % increase in Adif’s infrastructure maintenance budget, faster recruitment of 2,400 permanent track and signal technicians, and a binding timetable for upgrading legacy signalling on conventional lines. Until now the government has concentrated resources on headline-grabbing high-speed extensions, leaving older commuter corridors with 40-year-old interlockings.
For travelers who suddenly find their mobility plans upended, getting the right paperwork in place can be just as urgent as securing alternative transport. VisaHQ’s Spain portal (https://www.visahq.com/spain/) streamlines visa applications, NIE scheduling and other consular formalities online, so international staff and visitors can adjust appointment times or documentation deliveries without having to brave disrupted rail networks.
For employers the stoppage is another reminder that Spain’s impressive post-pandemic rail liberalisation still rests on fragile industrial relations. International assignees and short-term project teams who rely on fast AVE shuttles between Madrid and Barcelona—or on suburban links to technology parks in Málaga, Seville and Valencia—have been advised to build at least half a day’s contingency into travel schedules and to keep digital attendance options open. Renfe is offering free re-booking or refunds, but only on a first-come first-served basis, and tickets purchased through foreign travel-management companies must be reissued locally.
If no agreement is reached, unions say they will escalate to rolling 48-hour stoppages every week from March. Multinationals with large commuter populations are already dusting off the remote-work protocols used during the 2020 health crisis, while relocation providers warn that the strike will slow down NIE and TIE appointments because many immigration offices are reachable only by Cercanías.
