Renfe Strike on July 31 Threatens Summer Travel with Potential Train Cancellations

Spain's national railway company, Renfe, is bracing for a strike on July 31, called by the Railway Union. This walkout occurs on the cusp of the summer holiday travel rush, potentially impacting thousands of travelers.

Minimum service requirements, set by the Ministry of Transport, will allow for the cancellation of up to 322 AVE, Long Distance, and Medium Distance trains. Specifically, 92 AVE and Long Distance trains out of 343 are at risk, meaning at least 73% will operate. For Medium Distance services, up to 230 of 662 trains could be affected, with 65% guaranteed to run.

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The Ministry sets -- excluding the competencies transferred to Catalonia and the Basque Country -- 50% of trains in the off-peak hours and 75% in peak hour.

In commuter services (Cercanías), excluding Catalonia and the Basque Country, 50% of trains will run during off-peak hours and 75% during peak times. This translates to reduced frequency, with one train every 20 minutes on high-demand lines and hourly on secondary routes.

The Railway Union is protesting the current train air conditioning systems. This follows previous strikes in June and July that focused on the perceived abandonment of the freight service. Renfe, however, anticipates minimal impact, citing a low strike participation rate of around 2% in previous similar actions by this minority union, which resulted in only seven train cancellations.

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The previous strikes of this same minority union had a global follow-up of the staff of around 2%, so the service could be operated practically normally on most of the railway network.