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Anybody planning on travelling by rail next Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday will need to make other arrangements. After three rounds of talks between the unions and Spain’s Ministry of Transport, negotiations have stalled and train drivers have voted to go ahead with the nationwide strikes planned for February 9, 10 and 11.

 

Disruptions are expected to be fairly major as the industrial action will impact every facet of rail services, from driving and maintenance work to on-board services.

 

Unions are demanding a huge improvement in safety standards and a change to the entire railway system model following the tragic accidents in Adamuz (Córdoba) and Gelida (Barcelona), which together claimed the lives of 47 people.

 

The main train drivers’ union, Semaf, said there was still a wide gap between the unions and the Government on key issues such as operational improvements, increased investment and job creation at the start of this third round of negotiations. The session was chaired by the Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente.

 

The general secretary of the CCOO railway sector, Pepa Páez, said after the second meeting that some progress had been made, but not enough to reach a final agreement, meaning the planned strike action is still going ahead. Mr Páez explained that proposals for investment in maintenance and staffing at Renfe and the infrastructure manager Adif still need to be backed up with concrete figures, which the Ministry of Transport will have to negotiate with the Treasury.

 

Semaf shared that view, saying the progress so far was not sufficient. The union stressed the need to work together with the Spanish Government and the Railway Safety Agency to develop new, stricter safety protocols. Semaf believes the Safety Agency should oversee the system for all operators, including Renfe, Ouigo and Iryo on high-speed routes, and set common standards to guarantee consistent service quality for passengers.

 

Travel disruption throughout Spain is expected to be extensive since, in addition to Adif and Renfe, the call extends to theprivate rail operators Iryo and Ouigo, as well as freight transport and logistics companies such as Captrain, Logirail, Transervi, Redalsa and Medway.

 

Image: Renfe