The situation on Spanish railways is causing concern among experts and passengers: a shortage of staff at Adif (Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias) has led to an overload of Regulation and Control Centers (CRC), which are responsible for the safety and coordination of train traffic nationwide. The consequences are already being felt—after the Adamuz tragedy, which claimed 46 lives, and amid ongoing complaints from train drivers about track conditions, the workload for each dispatcher has reached record levels.
Amid an acute staff shortage, a single traffic controller is forced to handle more than a hundred protocol calls related to incidents and technical failures every day. Each of these calls is not just a formality, but a mandatory safety measure: the dispatcher informs the train driver of issues on the line or imposes speed restrictions to prevent new accidents. However, when the number of such messages exceeds reasonable limits, the risk of mistakes and oversights increases, directly affecting the safety of thousands of passengers.
Rising workload
Railway unions note that the staffing crisis at Adif has persisted for several years. Following recent accidents on high-speed lines in Córdoba and on Rodalies in Catalonia, the number of emergency protocols has multiplied. According to industry representatives, this has become a kind of ‘defensive reaction’ by the company: to avoid liability, dispatchers are forced to impose restrictions and warn train drivers about even the slightest deviations from normal operation.
Many train operators claim they have repeatedly reported track defects in advance, counting on quick issue resolution without the need for emergency measures. In practice, however, the number of staff in the Control Centers is so low that it’s impossible to respond to all requests in a timely manner. According to union estimates, at least 300 new employees are needed in the traffic service alone to keep the system running smoothly.
Geographic scope of the problem
Spain has 19 regulation and control centers distributed throughout the rail network. Four of these centers oversee high-speed lines (including Madrid, Zaragoza, Albacete, and Antequera), while the rest handle regular routes. The system employs around 3,000 people, but that’s clearly not enough to meet all operational needs.
The situation is particularly challenging in the centers of Zaragoza and Albacete, where staff are forced to work even on their legal days off to prevent total collapse. Previously, unions negotiated to increase job openings and secure compensation for overtime shifts, but these measures proved temporary and did not address the root of the problem.
Consequences of the decisions
The agreement on additional payments for work on weekends and public holidays was in effect until the end of last year. It was expected that the staff would be fully staffed by then, but this did not happen. Moreover, a month after the agreement ended, Adif management still has not responded to the request to extend the payments, despite the ongoing staff shortage.
Some centers have already received instructions to stop paying overtime shifts to dispatchers and technical specialists. This could lead to the merging of routes and a reduction in the number of duty personnel, directly affecting response times and safety standards on the railways.
Negotiations deadlocked
The crisis is worsening because of prolonged talks over Adif’s new collective agreement. Issues of shifts, weekend and holiday work, as well as compensation for special working conditions, remain unresolved. Employees complain that their wages do not depend on weekdays or holidays: both an ordinary Tuesday and Christmas are paid the same.
While the parties cannot reach a compromise, the workload on the remaining staff continues to grow, and passengers and train operators fear new disruptions and incidents. On social networks, people discuss how much longer this instability will last and whether it could lead to yet another tragedy on the railway.
