Escalation: Semaf calls three-day nationwide strike

Spain’s largest train drivers’ union, Semaf, called a nationwide strike for February 9–11. The action follows two crashes this week that killed at least 46 people, after the Adamuz death toll rose to 45 and a driver was killed near Gelida with 37 injured.

The union says it wants safety standards restored and firm guarantees for rail workers and passengers. It urged authorities to act on long‑standing reports of poor track conditions that it says have gone unaddressed, calling the accidents a turning point for rail safety.

In Catalonia, a drivers’ stoppage has already shut regional rail services, affecting about 400,000 travelers. The transport minister said he hopes the strike can be averted, called for the Catalonia stoppage to end, said the two crashes were unrelated, and added that heavy rainfall is thought to have caused the Gelida derailment.

AI-synthesized from multiple reported sources