Semaf's 24-hour Renfe strike on Thursday, 29 October, sets minimum AVE service at 73%

The strike and its scope

Semaf, the Spanish union of rail drivers (Sindicato Español de Maquinistas Ferroviarios), has called a 24-hour strike on Thursday, 29 October. The stoppage will cover all driving staff in the Renfe group across Spain. According to a Renfe statement, it runs from 00:01 to 23:59 that day. Renfe warns that frequencies could change during the strike and advises passengers to check service status before setting out.

Minimum services fixed by the ministry

The Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility has set minimum services for the strike, and each train type must keep a share of its usual circulation. Cercanías commuter trains must run at 75% of normal service during the peak windows of 06:00 to 09:00, 13:30 to 15:30 and 18:30 to 20:30, and at 50% for the rest of the day. Media Distancia trains will keep an average of 65% of their usual services, while high-speed and long-distance trains keep 73%. Freight trains must maintain 26% of scheduled service. In Catalonia, the regional government set 66% of usual service for Rodalies and Regionals during peak hours and 33% for the rest of the day, a decision it made on Friday, 23 October.

Cercanías peak hours75%

Cercanías off-peak50%

Media Distancia65%

AVE and Long Distance73%

Freight26%

Catalonia Rodalies and Regionals peak66%

Catalonia Rodalies and Regionals off-peak33%

Cercanías peak hours

75 %

Cercanías off-peak

50 %

Media Distancia

65 %

AVE and Long Distance

73 %

Freight

26 %

Catalonia Rodalies and Regionals peak

66 %

Catalonia Rodalies and Regionals off-peak

33 %

Data from the article text

Semaf's demands

Semaf says negotiations have stalled and that agreements already reached on rail safety are not being applied. The union wants binding protocols for acting when weather alerts are issued, along with a regulation that coordinates communications in risk situations. It also demands that breaks in driving time be applied correctly, the hiring of new drivers, and better support for staff after incidents in which trains strike people. On rolling stock, it asks for real and lasting technical fixes to reliability and safety problems.

Renfe rejects the grounds for the strike

Renfe has responded that the union's claims go beyond the company's powers.

“The demands raised by Semaf exceed the scope of the company's competence.”

Renfe calls the strike "incoherent" because it targets issues such as driving-time rules and some actions of the labour inspectorate, which the company says it cannot decide. It also argues that these demands are absent from the collective agreement Semaf signed in July. Renfe says it has fully met commitments made in a February agreement, signed after the Adamuz accident, to strengthen the rail system. The company says it has taken on more than 1,200 workers, reinforced maintenance teams and introduced measures to improve train reliability.

Key times on 29 October

The strike window opens at 00:01 on 29 October. The three Cercanías peak windows then fall at 06:00 to 09:00, 13:30 to 15:30 and 18:30 to 20:30, when the 75% floor applies. Outside those periods the floor drops to 50%. Media Distancia, AVE and long-distance services face their 65% and 73% floors across the day.

Safety measures and the weather dispute

Renfe says that in adverse weather or risk situations it is the only operator that adopts safety measures, while competitors keep trains running, and it notes that the union itself acknowledges this. The company also says the arrangements on weather and risk situations do not exist with other companies. Renfe argues that much of Semaf's agenda reflects practices already in place at Renfe, which the union wants extended across the rail sector.