Malaga rail cancellations deepen ahead of three-day strike action

By Priya Raman

Malaga's Renfe commuter network cancelled nearly 150 trains last week, according to opposition figures, with more than 30 cancellations on Friday and more than a dozen C1 cancellations and delays on Monday.

State rail operator Renfe now faces three days of strike action: Semaf train drivers have called strikes on 10 and 12 November, while 11 November is a general strike in Spain. Cercanías Málaga (the Malaga commuter service) expects disruption throughout Tuesday and has warned that the industrial action could also affect Monday's last trains.

The disruption has run for several days and, according to Sur's account, produced more than 150 incidents last week. Renfe's Monday announcements reported severe problems on coastal and interior services, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded at stations or rebooked onto later trains.

Which services have been disrupted?

C1 services faced repeated suspensions in both directions.

• C1, Malaga–Fuengirola: Renfe cancelled the 10.30am and 10.50am departures from Malaga Centro Alameda and directed passengers to the 10.50am and 11.10am services. It also cancelled the 11.20am and 11.40am return journeys from Fuengirola, leaving the 11.40am and noon departures as alternatives.
• C2, Malaga–Álora: The 11.40am departure from Malaga ran 15 minutes late as it passed through Cártama station. The 12.40pm train from Malaga central station was running an estimated 15 minutes late.

Why has Renfe blamed driver rosters?

Renfe's explanation rests on two constraints. One train has remained in the workshop for several days, undergoing repairs after a breakdown. The second is the difficulty of covering services when the timetable assigned to drivers changes.

A Renfe spokesman told Sur: “The disruptions currently affecting the Malaga commuter rail service are primarily due to two factors. On the one hand, the unavailability of a train, which remains in the workshop for repairs following a breakdown, is compounded by difficulties in covering certain services.”

Renfe said some drivers were refusing to operate services other than those specified in their rosters, meaning their assigned duty schedules. That refusal makes cover for changed services harder, and the operator links the difficulty directly to the unavailable train.

No repair schedule for the train or figures on affected driver shifts accompany that account, so its scale cannot be assessed from the information given. Renfe expects a particularly difficult travel week, a forecast rather than a measured service outcome. The cancellations and delays already recorded constitute the measured disruption.

“Renfe apologises for the inconvenience to passengers and is providing updates on the disruptions via its usual communication and customer service channels. A particularly difficult week is expected for travel, coinciding with the three days of strike action,” the spokesman said.

What does this change for Malaga commuters?

Cercanías Málaga has urged passengers to seek alternative transport because strike action could affect the last trains on Monday. For regular users, the practical change is a less dependable commute, not a new service pattern or additional capacity: Renfe is cancelling trains and extending journey times.

The network carried more than 17 million passengers in its record year, giving cancellations on the C1 and C2 lines direct consequences for daily travel across Malaga province. The passenger volume establishes the scale of the network, although it does not quantify this week's cancellations.

Any return to a dependable timetable will depend on the availability of the repaired train and on Renfe's ability to cover services when rosters change. The strike dates on 10, 11 and 12 November bring that test forward.

What do the opposition's figures show?

Patricia Navarro, who chairs the PP opposition in Malaga province, has urged the government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to act immediately. She described daily cancellations and delays on the province's two commuter rail lines as unsustainable.

“We need safe and reliable rail links. Malaga and its residents do not deserve to have a medium-distance service and a commuter service that are running at half-speed,” Navarro said.

Navarro counted nearly 150 train cancellations last week, more than 30 on Friday and more than a dozen cancellations and delays on Monday's C1 line alone, which she said affected thousands of daily commuters. Those figures describe the scale of the disruption, but they remain the opposition's account. Renfe's explanation focuses on one unavailable train and driver rosters without quantifying either constraint's effect on the full timetable.

What happens next?

The immediate test is whether Renfe can return the unavailable train to service and secure roster cooperation before and after the strike dates on 10, 11 and 12 November. Until then, Cercanías Málaga's advice remains to seek alternative transport and plan around cancellations.