Renfe Strike On July 15: What Madrid Travellers Need To Know

There is a Renfe strike scheduled for Wednesday July 15, 2026.

More precisely: Sindicato Ferroviario has called a second 24-hour strike across the Renfe group, following the first strike on Monday June 29. It is not Renfe "calling" the strike; Renfe is the public rail operator affected by it.

The first strike was timed with the start of summer travel. The second falls deeper into July, when Madrid residents are leaving for holidays, visitors are moving between cities, and Atocha and Chamartin are already under pressure from normal peak-season travel.

The dispute is not mainly about passenger timetables. It is about the future of Renfe Mercancias, Renfe's freight division, and the knock-on effect on maintenance work and staff guarantees.

Sindicato Ferroviario argues that Renfe Mercancias is being deliberately weakened and opposes the planned creation of a mixed company with Medway, a freight operator owned by the MSC group. The union also points to previous agreements reached in 2023 and 2025, the externalisation of maintenance work on locomotives, and the planned closure of the Taller de Material Remolcado in Miranda de Ebro, in Burgos.

Renfe has rejected the strike as unjustified. According to El Pais, the June 29 stoppage had very low follow-through, with Renfe reporting 1.83% participation overall by late afternoon.

The June stoppage provides background, rather than the July timetable. El País reported low participation and little impact on Madrid Cercanías, although Renfe had planned cancellations under the June minimum-service order. Staff participation is not the percentage of trains cancelled.

The action covered the Renfe group, including Cercanías, Media Distancia and long-distance services. Metro de Madrid and EMT were outside this strike call, as were separate high-speed operators Ouigo and Iryo.

Later information, checked 22 October: Renfe's July notice set guaranteed services at 75% of Cercanías at peak times and 50% otherwise, 66% of Media Distancia, and 73% of Alta Velocidad/Larga Distancia. The remaining trains depended on participation; they were not all automatically cancelled. Those figures apply to July 15, rather than a later strike.

Check the exact train number in the Renfe app, your booking and the operator's notices. If you booked through an agency, contact the seller too. Renfe's affected-train instructions determine the alternative departure, change or cancellation available.

For a cancelled or substantially delayed train, ask the operator about rerouting, reimbursement and any assistance owed in your case. Operator staff strikes do not automatically remove passenger rights. Keep the ticket, disruption notice, additional-expense receipts and the operator's response if you need to claim.

The June reporting cited European delay-compensation bands of 25% for 60–119 minutes and 50% for 120 minutes or more; service-specific conditions and Renfe's own commitments may differ.