How strikes and protests disrupt travel and city life

Key rules

• Strike notice: Rail and air strikes must be announced at least 10 days ahead.
• Minimum services: The share of services that runs differs for each strike, so check your route and date.
• Demonstrations: Big marches can close streets and stations for hours with little warning, so check city transport apps that day.
• Changes: Unions can challenge minimum services, so recheck the day before you travel.

What a strike means for your trip

Rail and air strikes are announced in advance, and some services always keep running. Strikes in rail and air transport must be announced at least 10 days ahead, and the minimum services are published before the strike. So you rarely get a surprise, but you do need to look.

Large demonstrations are different. They disrupt a city for a few hours, with less warning.

How minimum services work

When a strike hits an essential public service, the Ministry of Transport decides how much must still run. These are the servicios mínimos. The Ministry sets them after consulting the company and the unions.

• They are a share of normal services on each route. In peak periods this is often 60-100%.
• The share differs for every strike, so check your own route and date.
• Unions can challenge the figures in court, so the numbers can change after the first announcement.

The Ministry publishes them on its website and in the BOE, the official state gazette. Renfe, Aena and the airlines then pass them on to passengers, and the media repeat them.

What a big demonstration does

In Madrid, Barcelona and other large cities, a big march can close main avenues and squares for hours.

• Buses and trams are diverted or suspended on affected lines.
• Taxi access to the area is restricted.
• Metro and Cercanías stations near the route may close for a while.
• Extra services sometimes run for people arriving to march.
• Delays are common near the route, even where nothing is closed.

City operators such as EMT, Metro de Madrid and TMB publish diversions on their apps, websites and social media. Leave extra time, or walk away from the route to find a stop that still works.

Where to follow announcements

• The Ministry of Transport website and the BOE for the official minimum services.
• The Renfe, Adif and Aena websites and apps, and your airline's own notices.
• Local transport operators' apps for city diversions.
• Spanish news media and local papers, which report new calls quickly.
• The unions that call strikes, such as CCOO, UGT, CGT, SEMAF and USO, announce their calls publicly.

How to plan

Book flexible tickets when you can. Check your route when you buy, again a few days out, and once more the day before you travel. If your train or flight is on a strike day, confirm in the operator's app that it is running. The timeline, checklist and questions below walk through this.

Timeline and deadlines

• The Ministry of Transport sets the minimum services after consulting the company and unions: after the announcement and before the strike

• Minimum services are published on the Ministry's website and in the BOE, and passed on by Renfe, Aena and airlines: before the strike

Checklist

• Check the Ministry of Transport website or the BOE for the minimum services that cover your travel date.

• Look up the share of normal services that will run on your route.

• Open the Renfe, Adif, Aena or airline app and read the notice for your train or flight.

• Follow your operator's updates again the day before you travel.

• Check your city transport operator's app for diversions on the day of a large demonstration.

Frequently asked questions

How much of normal service runs during a rail or air strike?

Minimum services are usually a percentage of normal services, often 60-100% in peak periods. The exact percentage is different for each strike. Look up the figure for your date and route before you book or travel.

Can the minimum services be changed after they are announced?

Yes, unions can challenge them in the Audiencia Nacional or the Supreme Court, so the figure can change after it is published. Plan around the published minimum services and recheck them close to your travel date.

Where can I see bus and metro diversions during a big demonstration?

City transport operators such as EMT, Metro de Madrid and TMB publish diversions on their apps, websites and social media. Expect main avenues and squares to be closed for hours, with delays near the route. Taxis cannot get close to the route either.

Where can I follow transport strike announcements?

Follow the Ministry of Transport website, the BOE (Spain's official gazette), the Renfe and Adif websites and apps, Aena and your airline's own notices. Local news and the social media accounts of Renfe, Aena and city transport authorities carry updates too.