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Train drivers in Spain go on nationwide strike after fatal accidents

2026-02-09 07:24:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Train drivers in Spain will begin a three-day nationwide strike on Monday in protest at what they call a lack of safety guarantees on the country's rail system.

The move comes after two fatal rail accidents in January, one in Adamuz, in the southern region of the country, where 46 people died, and the second just two days later near Barcelona, ??where a train driver died and dozens of others were injured.

The accidents have caused serious problems for passengers and cast doubt on Spain's much-vaunted rail system.

Semaf, the train drivers' union, is demanding the hiring of more staff and increased investment and maintenance in what it has described as "the continuing deterioration of the rail network".

After the two crashes, subsequent safety inspections also revealed defects and maintenance problems on a number of roads.

Spain's Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, will speak in parliament this week about the failures in the rail system.

The accident in Adamuz on January 18, where a high-speed train derailed and collided with another one traveling in the opposite direction, was the country's worst rail disaster in more than a decade.

A preliminary report by the CIAF rail accident investigation commission has revealed that ruts found on the wheels of the derailed train and the three preceding trains suggest that a crack in the track occurred before the train ran over it.

Just two days later in Catalonia, a trainee driver was killed and at least 37 passengers were injured when a collapsed wall caused another local train to derail.

Railway officials believe the wall collapsed as the train was passing, first hitting the driver's cab and then causing significant damage to the first carriage of the train in which most of the injured passengers were travelling.

Semaf has previously said that the collisions represent a turning point in the demand that all necessary actions be taken to ensure the safety of railway operations.

The amount of investment the rail network is receiving has come under particular scrutiny. The Socialist-led government has sought to dismiss these questions, pointing out that 700 million euros (£605 million) have been invested in upgrading the Madrid-Andalusia line in recent years, with the section of track where the accident occurred included in that renovation.

"We are not seeing a problem of lack of maintenance, we are not seeing a problem of outdated infrastructure and we are not seeing a problem of lack of investment," said Transport Minister Oscar Puente./ CNA, translated by BBC