The railway sector is taking a stand: "If we do nothing and don't complain, we'll just keep running as if nothing's wrong."

Barcelona"Now it turns out that more than 400 points on the railway network need to be checked. And if we do nothing and don't complain, we'll just keep running as if nothing's wrong and see if another tragedy doesn't happen? That can't be. We want a structural reform and greater safety," argue sources from Semaf, the largest train drivers' union. "We thought we knew the most complicated areas, and we already thought there were many, but they weren't all of them. But we see the most serious problems: crooked trees, potholes... When you go through a tunnel, unless a piece falls, you don't know if everything is okay or not," argues Francisco Cárdenas, a train driver with more than four years of experience.

In recent weeks, Spain and Catalonia have experienced the worst railway crisis of the century, first with the fatal accidents in Adamuz and Gelida and then with the continued chaos of commuter rail caused by numerous disruptions on practically all lines. All of this has fueled the discontent of users, who this weekend filled the streets of Barcelona in protest, but also of the railway sector, which had long been demanding improvements and more investment. Now it has decided to take a stand.

This Monday, train drivers on the railway network Three days of strike begin to denounce the poor state of the infrastructure and make it clear that the specific measures being implemented are insufficient. Last week, the Minister of Territory, Silvia Paneque, explained that "for the first time" the entire commuter rail network is being comprehensively reviewed because the infrastructure is "fragile" and "utterly deplorable." Furthermore, the main railway unions – CCOO, UGT, and Semaf – maintain that they have been denouncing the state of the rail network for some time, but that until now their demands had gone unheard.

"After twenty years without investment, it could explode at any moment," summarizes Hector Pujols, the railway sector representative for CCOO, who insists that it was to be expected that the sector would decide to strike. "Going to work is like a lottery: one day nothing happens, another day nothing either, but the next day something does. And when there's an accident, the train driver doesn't escape," Cárdenas summarizes. According to Adif's assessment, there are 648 vulnerable points on the rail network that require inspections, primarily in cuttings, embankments, tunnels, bridges, platforms, and tracks, and 31 sections require emergency repairs. "They can't make us believe that everything was fine three weeks ago. The inspections have never been done. I wish they were mandated by law," Cárdenas adds. In this regard, union representatives agree on the need for a "structural change" beyond these specific actions already underway to improve procedures, safety, and staffing levels throughout the rail system. In addition to this change in the railway model, they are also demanding the restoration of safety standards following the accidents that have left 47 dead – 46 in Adamuz and one in Gelida – the suspension of high-speed rail service to Andalusia, and the disruption of commuter rail service in Catalonia for several days. The protests are being called not only by the major unions but also by the CGT, the Railway Union (SF), and the Railway Traffic Union (SCF), which are not participating in the negotiations with the Ministry of Transport. Besides Adif and Renfe, workers from the private operators Iryo and Ouigo, as well as freight and logistics companies, among others, are also called to strike. In fact, Renfe, Ouigo, and Iryo canceled more than 330 high-speed trains scheduled between Monday and Wednesday. More maintenance

For Pujols, the situation is "critical" throughout Spain, and he focuses on the "deficiencies in maintenance" of a mode of transport essential to the public, such as trains. He says that the commitment to expanding the high-speed rail network in recent years has led to a neglect of other rail services, and now "we are paying the price." Semaf adds that the increased use of the infrastructure has not been matched by a corresponding increase in maintenance efforts. "There has been a lot of negligence, and excuses are no longer valid," say the same sources from the largest train drivers' union. In fact, the union members maintain that they are going on strike solely for safety reasons, citing as an example their protest in the Community of Madrid when three trains derailed in quick succession on a specific line connecting the tunnels between Atocha and Chamartín. "If we believe a section of road is unsafe, we are legally entitled to halt traffic until safe conditions are guaranteed," the same sources argued, adding that they pressured the ministry to resolve the issue then and are doing so again now. "We want to arrive alive, and we want everyone to arrive safely," they concluded.