Renfe strike could affect one of the busiest travel weekends of the summer

Thousands of passengers could see their journeys affected as train drivers and onboard staff prepare to walk out over concerns about faulty air conditioning

Anyone planning to travel by train at the end of the month may want to keep an eye on their booking.

A 24-hour strike has been called at Renfe for Friday July 31, the same day many people will be setting off for the start of their August holidays. While trains will still be running, some services could be affected depending on how many staff take part and the minimum service levels set by Spain's Ministry of Transport.

The strike has been called by the Sindicato Ferroviario, which represents train drivers and onboard staff at Renfe Viajeros. This time, the dispute centres on concerns about faulty air conditioning systems on some trains.

Concerns over working conditions

The union says ongoing problems with air conditioning are making it increasingly difficult for staff to work safely during one of Spain's hottest summers in recent years.

It claims some employees have suffered headaches, fatigue, breathing difficulties and anxiety while working on trains without adequate cooling. The union believes the situation could become even more serious if trains with faulty systems continue to operate without permanent repairs.

According to the union, the problems are being caused by ageing equipment, the way faults are dealt with when they happen and the outsourcing of some maintenance work. It also claims temporary repairs are sometimes carried out instead of replacing worn-out systems, allowing trains with recurring faults to stay in service.

Renfe has not yet responded in detail to those claims. The company has also not released figures showing how many trains have air conditioning faults, which services are affected or how many heat-related incidents involving staff have been recorded.

What it means for passengers

The Ministry of Transport has not yet announced the minimum service levels for the strike, so it is not yet clear how many trains will be affected.

During the previous strike on Tuesday July 15, up to 75% of Cercanías services ran during peak hours, along with 66% of Media Distancia trains and 73% of High Speed and Long Distance services. Similar arrangements could be introduced again, although that has not yet been confirmed.

If a train is cancelled, Renfe usually gives passengers the option of travelling on another available service or changing or cancelling their ticket free of charge.

Passengers may also be entitled to compensation if their train's air conditioning fails. On some High Speed and Long Distance services, a complete loss of air conditioning can result in a 100% refund, while partial failures may qualify for a 50% refund. Different rules apply to Media Distancia services.

Third strike in just over a month

This will be the third strike organised by Sindicato Ferroviario in a little over a month, although the reasons behind it are different from the previous walkouts.

The strikes on June 29 and July 15 focused on concerns over the future of Renfe Mercancías, private investment in the company, railway workshops and what the union said was a failure to honour labour agreements reached in 2023.

Renfe said participation in those strikes was relatively low, reporting turnout of 1.83% on June 29 and 2.11% on July 15. Those figures were provided by the company and have not been independently verified or agreed by the union.

This latest strike is also more limited in scope, as it only involves train drivers and onboard staff at Renfe Viajeros, rather than all Renfe employees.

Anyone travelling at the start of August is advised to check the status of their train once Renfe publishes its final timetable and confirms which services will be running.

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