Malaga commuter strike: C1 and C2 delays hit Renfe on day one

Renfe reported delays of up to 20 minutes on Malaga's C1 and C2 commuter lines within the first hours of a three-day train driver strike, and suspended one Avant service between Malaga and Seville, transferring its passengers to road transport.

The stoppage, called by Semaf, the Spanish union of railway drivers, began with continuous but so far contained disruption and what witnesses described as relative calm on the network. Passenger numbers have fallen since the first day, as many travellers followed Renfe's advice and switched to alternative means of transport.

What went wrong on the first morning?

Disruption concentrated on the two lines of the Malaga commuter rail network during the early hours.

On line C2, the 5.44am departure from Málaga Centro Alameda to Álora ran 20 minutes late. Line C1 suffered several hold-ups:

• The 8.10am train from Malaga to Fuengirola departed 15 minutes late.
• Trains leaving Fuengirola at 9am, 9.20am and 9.40am each lost 15 minutes at El Pinillo, Aeropuerto and Carvajal stations respectively.

Further delays followed later in the morning: the 9.20am train at Malaga Airport, the 10.10am train passing through Torremolinos, the 11am train in Torreblanca and the 11.40am train in Torremuelle all ran behind schedule.

The operator also suspended an Avant train service between Malaga and Seville and moved those passengers onto buses.

Can Renfe guarantee minimum services?

Renfe does not rule out drivers failing to meet minimum service requirements during the day — a problem the operator says is already occurring in other parts of Spain. That risk leaves the official minimum-service timetable exposed for the rest of the stoppage, with no guarantee the early-morning pattern of 15-to-20-minute delays marks the ceiling of disruption.

For passengers, the practical question is what changes for journeys through the rest of the week. The answer: planning ahead and checking Renfe's official channels, which is the company's stated advice.

When does the strike continue?

Disruption runs through the week in two further phases:

• Wednesday: a general strike, which the train drivers are also joining.
• Thursday 12 November: partial stoppages in three windows — 6.20am to 9.20am, 2.20pm to 5.20pm, and 9.20pm to 11.20pm.

Why are the drivers striking?

Semaf called both Wednesday's and Thursday's protests. The drivers argue the Ministry of Transport has failed to implement required safety measures. Their demands originated after the serious accident in Adamuz and intensified following the Urda tragedy.

With minimum-service compliance already wavering elsewhere in Spain and three windows of stoppage still scheduled for Thursday, Renfe faces a test of whether bus replacement and reduced demand can keep Malaga's commuter network moving through 12 November.