Travel
Crowds, breakdowns, and copper thefts: What’s the real reason for Spain’s ongoing rail issues?
Delays and cancellations have become the norm for train passengers in Spain. Is widening its rail network to blame?
“It’s like this almost every day,” laments Paola, who is waiting for her train to go to Barcelona for work. It’s already one hour and 45 minutes late. She still doesn’t know when she will be able to leave Madrid.
“This is a huge problem. It’s okay when you have occasional delays, but when it becomes the norm, we have to ask ourselves questions.”
Like her, many Spaniards share daily on social media their mishaps and anger about the chaotic train situation across the country.
At the end of October, an overturned train and a passenger in a prohibited area blocked nearly 15,000 passengers in the two main train stations in Madrid.
In recent years, problems of all kinds have skyrocketed throughout the railway network.
Delays, breakdowns, crowds in stations, copper thefts that leave trains without service, trains stopped in tunnels, and passengers stuck for hours without water or electricity regularly make the European headlines.
“The most important problem, further than cancellations or delays, is that the quality of the service offered by the operators has deteriorated,” explains Jorge Morera from the Public Transport Promotion Association, a Spanish organisation that defends sustainable mobility through public transport.
“There are major capacity issues at stations, and there is poor management of disruption, which now affects passengers on a daily basis, even more on local and regional networks.”
Spanish national company Renfe recorded the highest number of delays in its history last year, both with its AVE high-speed services and medium-distance trains, according to a company report.
Renfe claimed many causes, including the rising demand for rail, numerous improvement works within the railway network, and issues related to competing companies.
Spain’s trains have more competition, but at what price?
Spain has a unique train situation in Europe, as three different train companies operate high-speed services.
Renfe lost its monopoly in 2021, and since then, it’s been pitted against the French state train company Ouigo España, and Iryo, which is partly owned by Italy’s Trenitalia rail firm.
In response to this increased competition, Renfe launched its own low-cost, Renfe Avlo.
“We have more trains and better prices, which is good, but there are some other things that are not good for passengers,” says Morera. “Renfe has changed its policies and reduced the compensation for disruption since this new scenario. This is not good news for passengers.”
Renfe no longer offers refunds of the full ticket price for delays of only 30 minutes. Instead, it compensates 50 per cent for delays of one hour and 100 per cent for delays beyond 90 minutes.
The drop in prices and the opening up to competition led to a huge increase in traffic and passengers.
Train travellers set a historical record in Spain last year, exceeding 665.2 million passengers, a 20 per cent increase compared to 2019, according to data from the Spanish national statistics institute (INE).
“I think the keyword is growing pains,” said Juan Montero, a professor of administrative law and economic regulation at the National Distance Education University (UNED) in Madrid.
“The transformation that was introduced by liberalisation has been a really big success for users”, he says.
“The number of trains running in the network and the number of passengers have dramatically increased. Some corridors even double. But the system still has some trouble adapting to it. Problems are, in some ways, the consequences of success,” adds Montero.
The Spanish rail network must modernise and expand
Faced with increased traffic and a lack of investment during the financial crisis, several projects are underway on the rail network, such as the transformation of the Charmartin train station in Madrid.
One goal is to double the capacity of high-speed rail and reach a total of 25 train tracks.
The project is scheduled to be completed in June 2026. Ultimately, it could increase passenger numbers up to 55 million in 2030 – up from 36 million in 2023.
But until then, the station has caused delays for both commuter and medium- and long-distance lines.
The expansion of the Barcelona Sants station faces similar challenges.
The arrival of new trains manufactured by the national company Talgo also has a share of responsibility after the network had to wait more than two years for delivery.
“These new trains caused some troubles. They were late to deliver it, and it seems that they rushed the contract a bit to furnish these trains 100 per cent ready to run,” says Juan Montero.
Renfe has blamed the manufacturer for the incidents and breakdowns of its new trains and is now claiming millions in damages.
Spain also needs to modernise its signalling system, particularly on the oldest Madrid-Sevilla line: “It is an extremely expensive and time-consuming operation,” adds Montero.
What’s the future of Spain’s railway network?
Will the Spanish rail situation improve in the long term? It’s hard to say, especially since the country’s three low-cost train operators are still expanding their activities. Rival services covering Andalusia are due to be launched next month.
“It’s true that delays are getting worse in Spain, but it’s more on a specific period. And if we compare it to other EU countries, it’s way less,” says Montero. “In France, for example, it’s not an event, it’s a constant”.
“Spain was well connected with many countries with night trains before,” adds Morera, “but since the coronavirus, these trains have decreased, and a lot of connections to Spain with France and other countries have disappeared.”
Morera hopes that efforts will also be made to consider travellers’ needs, including more intermobility and cross-border connections. That’s when the leader of Europe’s rail renaissance will truly shuttle into the future.
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By Euronews Travel
Published on
Norway is set to become the latest European destination to introduce a tourist tax to combat concerns about rising visitor numbers.
Lawmakers approved the new levy on Thursday, which allows municipalities to introduce a 3 per cent tax on overnight stays in “areas particularly affected by tourism”.
The law allows local authorities to apply the tax at their own discretion, and it will be added to accommodation charges. Authorities will also be allowed to adjust the percentage based on the season.
The funds raised by the tax will be used exclusively to improve tourism infrastructure projects that benefit both visitors and local people. Municipalities will have to demonstrate that their facilities are inadequate and have their plans approved by the government to spend the funds.
Cecilie Myrseth, Norway’s minister of trade and industry, said on social media that her government had reached a “historic agreement” to introduce a tourism tax that was “in line with what they have in the rest of Europe”.
The country is the latest in a string of European nations introducing or increasing visitor levies to tackle the growing problem of overtourism. A tax may also be applied to cruise ships that make stops in the country, particularly in areas that are most affected by overtourism.
Norway is experiencing a tourism boom
As tourists increasingly choose cooler, northern European destinations to get away from the heat, Norway has experienced a boom in visitor numbers.
Last year, a record-breaking 38.6 million people booked accommodation in the country. That includes more than 12 million overnight stays by foreign tourists – a 4.2 per cent increase from 2023.
Some previously quiet destinations have been overwhelmed, like the Lofoten islands, where eye-catching images of hiking trails posted on social media have led to an influx of visitors. With a population of 24,500 people distributed across several small towns and villages, keeping up with the cost of all these new visitors has been hard.
A recent survey by industry organisation Norwegian Tourism Partners found that 77 per cent of people in Tromsø, in northern Norway above the Arctic Circle, thought there were too many tourists there. Visitors have been drawn by the Northern Lights, wildlife excursions, Sami cultural experiences and what the city itself has to offer.
The increase in tourism has caused tension with local residents across Norway as infrastructure has struggled to keep up with the boom. Facilities like public toilets and car parks have been overwhelmed in popular destinations.
Some residents have even reported cases of people using their back gardens as toilets, and bemoaned the increased traffic clogging up Norway’s roads.
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As millions of holidaymakers prepare to head to the Canary Islands this summer, authorities have issued a wildfire pre-alert across the archipelago.
The warning, announced by the General Directorate of Emergencies on Sunday, applies to tourist hotspots El Hierro, La Palma, La Gomera, Tenerife and Gran Canaria.
It comes as the islands enter a high-risk fire period following the wet season, as hot, dry winds known as the ‘calima’ begin blowing in from the Sahara Desert.
Fires are common, but they haven’t slowed tourism
The risk of wildfire is nothing new for the Canary Islands.
The volcanic terrain, Mediterranean climate and fire-adapted vegetation – plants that have evolved to thrive in fire-prone environments – make them susceptible to summer blazes, and scientists say wildfires are part of the archipelago’s ecological rhythm.
Some of the worst occurred in 2023, when forest fires ravaged Tenerife, destroying more than 15,000 hectares of land and forcing 12,000 people to evacuate. The blaze was later found to have been started by arsonists.
This year, officials are urging tourists and locals alike to take extreme caution, warning against launching fireworks near forests and discarding cigarettes on dry ground.
But even as the fire warnings roll in, the Canaries’ appeal shows no signs of slowing down.
In 2024, the islands welcomed nearly 18 million tourists, including a record-breaking 15.5 million international arrivals. Among them, British travellers led the way, recording 6.3 million visits – up 500,000 from 2023.
Concerns about overtourism mount amid record arrivals
While the Canary Islands continue to attract record numbers of tourists, residents are increasingly voicing concerns about overtourism.
In April 2024, tens of thousands of islanders participated in protests, holding signs that read “the Canary Islands have a limit” while rallying against rising housing costs, environmental damage and the strain on public services.
Over Easter this year, about 80,000 hospitality workers in Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierrowalked out in a dispute with unions over pay.
The surge in short-term rentals has been especially contentious. Locals have reported getting priced out of their neighbourhoods as properties are converted into holiday lets, the cost of living soars and wages stagnate.
Despite these concerns, tourism remains a significant part of the Canary Islands’ economy, accounting for approximately 35 per cent of its GDP.
Tenerife still reigns supreme
After welcoming seven million tourists in 2024, Tenerife remains the most visited island.
Its year-round sunshine and wide beaches keep it a firm favourite among families, especially during the UK’s summer school break and throughout the winter months.
As the peak summer season picks up, local tourism boards have made no indication that the fire pre-alerts will disrupt travel plans.
But authorities remain focused on prevention this year.
More than 2,000 firefighters are on standby. Meanwhile, the government has distributed detailed safety advice, urging people to prepare a go-bag, stay informed and follow emergency evacuation or shelter-in-place instructions if fires erupt.
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Travel
Violent turbulence hits Ryanair flight in Germany, forcing an emergency landing and injuring 9
By Euronews Travel with AP
Published on
Severe storms in southern Germany forced a Ryanair flight to make an emergency landing late Wednesday after violent turbulence injured nine people on board, German police said in a statement Thursday.
The flight, travelling from Berlin to Milan with 179 passengers and six crew members, encountered turbulence so intense around 8:30 pm that the pilot was forced to make an unscheduled landing at Memmingen Airport in Bavaria.
Eight passengers and one crew member were hurt.
Three people were taken to the hospital in Memmingen for treatment; the other injured people were released after receiving outpatient treatment. As a precaution, all passengers were checked for injuries by the emergency services.
Authorities did not permit the plane to continue flying, and the airline arranged bus transport for passengers. Milan is about 380 kilometres south of Memmingen.
More bad weather expected in Germany
Elsewhere in the region, storms damaged several homes in Ulm, Baden-Württmberg, according to the German news agency dpa.
In the Donaustetten district, strong winds tore roofs off multiple row houses, rendering them uninhabitable, though no injuries were reported. Fire officials suspect a small tornado or waterspout caused the damage. The German Weather Service (DWD) is investigating, according to dpa.
Storm-related emergency calls also came from other areas in southern Germany, where damage was mostly limited to fallen trees and flooded basements.
The DWD warned of further storms on Thursday, 5 June, with hail, strong winds, and localised heavy rain expected.
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