Renfe strike forces cancellation of 320 trains in Spain on Monday

The week is off to a difficult start for train travellers in Spain. Renfe has been forced to cancel a total of 320 services on Monday 29 June due to the strike called by the Railway Union (SF), a stoppage that comes just as many workers begin their summer holidays.

Despite the strike call, the minimum services set by the Ministry of Transport will ensure much of the operation goes ahead. On high-speed and long-distance routes, 262 trains will run, equivalent to 73% of normal capacity. On medium-distance services, 420 trains will be maintained, around 65% of those planned.

The worst affected will be the Cercanías commuter services, whose activity will be cut in half, with 75% of services operating only during peak hours: from 6 am to 9 am, from 1.30 pm to 4 pm, and from 6.30 pm to 8.30 pm.

The company is offering affected passengers the option to travel on the train closest to their original departure time or, if they prefer, to change or cancel their ticket free of charge through the usual channels. The list of cancelled trains can be consulted on the operator’s website.

Monday’s stoppage is only the first of two 24-hour strike days: the second is scheduled for 15 July. The dispute stems from the future of Renfe Mercancías. The union denounces what it describes as a “deliberate abandonment” of the freight subsidiary and rejects the creation of a joint venture with Medway, part of the MSC group.

According to the organisation, the company has failed to honour the agreements that led to previous stoppages being called off, signed in November 2023 with the Ministry and expanded in March 2025, by reducing the division’s workload.

The SF also highlights the outsourcing of maintenance for 65 locomotives in the 333.3 series, work that until now had been carried out by Renfe’s own staff, and the announcement of the closure of the Rolling Stock Workshop in Miranda de Ebro.