Spain’s Three Strike Days: What Will Actually Run on 10, 11 and 12 November

Spain’s railways face three strike days of disruption in a row next week, and the picture is now clearer than it was a few days ago: the first minimum-service figures have been published, so travellers can start to see what will actually run.

Tuesday 10 November — full Renfe drivers’ strike. Train drivers’ union SEMAF has called a 24-hour stoppage across the Renfe group, from 00:01 to 23:59. Expect cancellations on AVE high-speed, long-distance, regional and Cercanías commuter trains. For Catalonia, the picture is now set: the regional government’s order of 5 November requires 66% of the usual Rodalies and regional service at peak times (06:00–09:30 and 17:00–20:30) and 33% for the rest of the day. Rodalies publishes a timetable for each line before the day — check rodalies.gencat.cat. For high-speed and long-distance trains outside Catalonia, the Transport Ministry had still not published its minimum-service resolution when last checked on 5 November. As a rough guide, at SEMAF’s last strike on 29 October the ministry required 73% of high-speed and long-distance trains, 65% of Media Distancia regional services and 26% of freight, with Cercanías at 75% in the peaks and 50% at other times. Those were the old strike’s figures, not this week’s — but they show the shape of what to expect.

Wednesday 11 November — general strike. Spain’s two biggest unions, CCOO and UGT, have called a 24-hour nationwide general strike, the first joint one since 2012, over the housing crisis, wages and living standards. It runs from midnight to midnight across every sector. Airports will not close, and no airline has announced cancellations, but ground handling, Renfe trains, metros and city buses are all exposed, and marches are planned in Madrid and Barcelona that may block roads. Barcelona’s Metro, FGC and Rodalies unions have joined the call. The strike falls during the campaign for a snap general election on 29 November.

Thursday 12 November — partial stoppages. SEMAF drivers stop work in three windows: 06:20–09:20, 14:20–17:20 and 21:20–23:20. The morning peak, the afternoon peak and the late evening are all hit, with normal service in between. The same Catalonia minimum-service levels apply: 66% at peak times, 33% otherwise.

The dispute is about safety. After the crash near Urda on 28 October, in which 69 people died, SEMAF says Renfe, Adif and the Transport Ministry have not delivered the safety measures agreed in February. The union met acting transport minister Carlos Cuerpo on Thursday 5 November, but the meeting ended without progress, and a further meeting was called for Friday. The strikes stayed on.

And the calendar does not stop there. On Tuesday 17 November, Adif’s works council has called a 24-hour strike backed by CCOO, UGT, CGT, the Sindicato Ferroviario and the Sindicato de Circulación Ferroviario, while SEMAF has registered its own call covering drivers at eight operators: Renfe, Iryo, Ouigo, Transfesa, Continental Rail, Tracción Rail, Captrain and Medway.

What to do about the Three Strike Days

• Renfe publishes strike-day timetables and affected-train lists before each strike day. Check renfe.com the day before you travel, and again on the morning itself.
• Renfe normally lets you change or cancel strike-affected tickets free of charge. Do it early, while seats on other trains remain.
• For 11 November, allow much longer for airport journeys, and check Aena and your airline on the morning itself.
• In Catalonia, use the Rodalies minimum-service timetables on rodalies.gencat.cat rather than guessing from the normal timetable.

Before you travel, check your trip against the Three Strike Days dates, 10, 11 and 12 November. The Three Strike Days are not the only rail stoppages that week: see Spain Faces Three Days of Rail Strikes Next Week for the wider 10 to 17 November picture.

StrikeWatch will update this article when the Transport Ministry publishes minimum services for high-speed and long-distance trains.

Sources: SEMAF notices 2026-51 and 2026-52; Generalitat de Catalunya order EMT/210/2026 (5 November 2026); El Constitucional (5 November 2026); EFE reporting via FTN News; Wego; Travel Extra; Railway Supply.