Ouigo Just Cancelled Its Spanish Trains After a Court Ruling

Ouigo Spain has cancelled all of its trains today and again on Monday, November 2, because of a strike by train drivers represented by the SEMAF union. The operator told customers it could not guarantee which services would run after Spain’s National High Court suspended the minimum-service levels that the Transport Ministry had set for the stoppage.

The walkout is the first of six days of action SEMAF has called against the low-cost operator, which has roughly 100 drivers, most of them union members. Beyond the two full-day strikes, partial stoppages are planned for November 6 and 9, with more on December 4 and 8. Before the ruling, the ministry’s 71 percent minimum service had been expected to protect most scheduled trips, and Ouigo had already withdrawn 22 trains from the Madrid corridors to Malaga.

The dispute centers on the 2024 collective agreement. The union says it is not being respected, while Ouigo maintains it complies. The trains affected serve high-speed destinations including Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Malaga and Cordoba, so travelers on those routes are the most exposed.

Passengers on cancelled services can change their tickets at no extra cost or take a full refund, and Ouigo says both options come with an additional compensation payment. Trains on Saturday, October 31 and Sunday, November 1 are scheduled to run normally. State operator Renfe’s own 24-hour driver strike on October 29 has now ended.

Sources: Travel Monitor, Rus Tourism News, The Local Spain