Spanish rail strikes cut two-thirds of overnight freight trains

Renfe Mercancías cancelled 25 of its 38 scheduled overnight freight trains during Spain's nationwide general strike on 11 November 2026 — roughly two-thirds of the path programme for the shift ending at 07:00.

The walkout came just a day after a separate train drivers' strike, and railway unions are already preparing a third disruption: a 24-hour sector-wide strike on Tuesday, 17 November, covering Renfe, infrastructure manager Adif and, in CCOO's call, private passenger operators Iryo and Ouigo.

For freight planners, the pattern matters as much as the totals. The Ministry of Transport had set minimum service levels at 26% of freight operations for the general strike, yet Renfe reported that 20% of those mandatory minimum freight services did not run. Across the full day, 12% of Renfe's freight employees took part in the stoppage, with participation climbing to 17.47% on the afternoon shift — the highest rate among Renfe's main divisions in that period.

What did the two days cost passengers?

The 10 November strike, organised by the Spanish train drivers' union SEMAF, hit passenger operations hardest. Renfe cancelled 41.5% of the scheduled minimum high-speed and long-distance services that day. On the freight side, the operator logged 16 train cancellations across the overnight, morning and early afternoon shifts, and it failed to operate 35.7% of mandatory minimum freight services during the night and 50% during the morning shift. Driver participation reached 33.2% over the day.

The general strike on 11 November spread the disruption more evenly. Renfe's later figures showed cancellations affecting 15.7% of AVE and long-distance trains and 10.54% of public-service trains, including Cercanías, Rodalies, Avant and Media Distancia. The sharpest effects clustered around the two biggest metropolitan markets: 22.4% of Madrid commuter trains were cancelled, and Barcelona's Rodalies network suspended services entirely between 09:30 and 16:30.

Why are the unions striking?

SEMAF framed its 10 November action around the implementation of railway safety commitments it agreed with the Ministry of Transport, Renfe and Adif in February 2026. After the government approved an emergency decree addressing railway operational safety and the protection of railway professionals, SEMAF postponed a second planned strike from 12 to 23 November — keeping that action on the calendar rather than calling it off.

The broader union coalition, including CCOO and UGT, is demanding improvements in operational safety, emergency procedures, workforce levels and coordination between train operators and infrastructure managers. The unions have also called a demonstration outside the Spanish Congress of Deputies in Madrid for Monday, 16 November, the day before the walkout.

The trigger for November's escalation was the railway accident near Urda on 28 October, which sharpened existing disputes over safety arrangements and working conditions across the Spanish railway sector.

For operators and shippers, the immediate question is capacity recovery between strike days. With the 17 November stoppage spanning both Renfe and Adif — and reaching into the private operators for the first time — freight customers face a compressed window to rebook cancelled flows before the next 24-hour shutdown lands.