Rail travel across Spain will be disrupted as Renfe cancels 320 trains during a strike called by the Sindicato Ferroviario. The stoppage, scheduled for June 29 and July 15, affects AVE, Long Distance and Medium Distance services, forcing changes to the operator’s timetable.
Under the minimum service plan approved by Spain’s Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, 98 of the 360 scheduled AVE and Long Distance trains will not run on the affected days. That leaves 262 trains in operation, or about 73% of the usual service. Medium Distance routes face deeper cuts: 222 of 642 trains are cancelled, leaving 420 running, or about 65% of the normal schedule. Minimum-service levels determine how much transport continues during a strike. For services under regional authority in the Basque Country and Catalonia, the respective governments set those levels.
Commuter rail (Cercanías) services will also be reduced. During peak hours, Renfe will provide 75% of its standard service: from 6:00 to 9:00, between 13:30 and 14:00 and 15:30 and 16:00, and from 18:30 to 20:30. Outside those periods, only half of the usual trains will operate.
Renfe says affected AVE, Long Distance and Medium Distance passengers will be offered alternative trains as close as possible to their original departure times, subject to availability. Passengers who would rather not travel can cancel or reschedule their tickets at no extra cost through any Renfe sales channel.
The Sindicato Ferroviario, which called the strike, accuses Renfe of deliberately neglecting its freight division, Renfe Mercancías. The union opposes a proposed joint venture with Medway, an MSC subsidiary, for freight operations. It says the move violates agreements reached between the Ministry and Renfe unions in November 2023 and March 2025, and alleges that it would reduce the freight subsidiary’s workload while harming other workshops.
Union representatives say the alleged breaches amount to an unjustified abandonment of Renfe’s public freight activity and seriously harm staff. They are demanding immediate corrective action. The Sindicato Ferroviario is a minority union in the sector, but its strike has disrupted passengers and staff.
The dispute is separate from a 24-hour strike called by the Sindicato Español de Maquinistas y Ayudantes Ferroviarios (SEMAF) for October 29, 2026. That action involves driving staff across Renfe’s high-speed, long-distance, medium-distance, commuter and freight services. SEMAF’s dispute centered on commitments covering railway safety, extreme-weather procedures, driver recruitment, accident response and rolling-stock reliability. Renfe said it had “fulfilled all the commitments undertaken” under the February agreement and argued that many union demands fell outside its remit, as Europa Press reported.
Spain’s rail network is among the most extensive in Europe, with AVE high-speed lines connecting major cities and regions. Industrial action can affect daily commuters, long-distance travelers and the logistics chain. The current dispute reflects ongoing tensions over the future of public rail freight and the balance between public- and private-sector roles in Spain’s transport infrastructure.
