Spain’s government has approved a package of rail safety measures after train drivers went on strike on Tuesday to demand more investment in maintenance, following the country’s second deadly rail crash this year.
The drivers’ union Semaf called off a further strike planned for Thursday (12 November) after the cabinet adopted the measures, which give railway staff better ways to report safety concerns and more autonomy to stop a train, or not restart it, if they detect a risk. The government also created an ombudsman for victims of public transport accidents.
Semaf described the move as a “real change of heart” by the government and said it would replace Thursday’s strike with one on 23 November. Another strike remains planned for 17 November.
About 40 per cent of long- and medium-distance services were cancelled on Tuesday, according to state operator Renfe. Around 90 per cent of services on Madrid’s commuter network and half of Barcelona’s local services were also cancelled.
Further disruption is expected on Wednesday, when unions hold a 24-hour nationwide general strike over Spain’s housing crisis ahead of a snap election on 29 November.
Two crashes on the same high-speed line between Madrid and Seville have killed 115 people this year. A collision in January near Adamuz, in southern Spain, killed 46 people, and a crash near Toledo last month killed 69.
Investigators said the second collision happened after a controller ordered a Renfe train to continue following a signal failure, even though a stationary Iryo train was further ahead on the same line.
Talks between the government and the drivers’ union on improving safety began after the January crash but were abandoned in April, according to Semaf.
Transport Minister Óscar Puente resigned last week, and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has appointed his deputy, Carlos Cuerpo, to run the ministry on an interim basis.
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia joined relatives of the victims of last month’s crash at a funeral in Toledo Cathedral on Tuesday.
Sánchez did not attend, saying he does not attend religious services as a rule. The conservative opposition accused him of cowardice.
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