Spain’s Second Fatal Train Crash Prompts Call for Drivers Strike

Emergency services at the site of a rail crash in Barcelona on Jan. 21.Photographer: Catalonia Fire Service/Getty Images

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By Macarena Munoz Montijano

January 21, 2026 at 7:15 AM UTC

Updated on

January 21, 2026 at 9:20 AM UTC

Train drivers in Spain called for a strike after a second fatal train crash in days killed one of the union’s members, underlining longstanding frustrations over maintenance and safety.

“All of us at SEMAF are devastated and consider this situation of constant deterioration of the railway unacceptable,” the union, which represents railway drivers across the country, said Wednesday after a commuter train crashed near Barcelona on Tuesday night.