Chaos as some basic rail services not provided in train drivers' strike

The Rodalies commuter train drivers' strike caused chaos throughout the railway network all of Thursday morning.

The protest action was approved by the government, with the mandatory minimum services set at 85% of the usual number of trains.

Yet Renfe, the Spanish-government-owned company that manages the railways, said that "some drivers failed to provide basic services" leading to "serious disruptions."  

A few minutes before noon, Renfe decided to interrupt commuter services in Barcelona's main station, Sants, entirely. 

Catalan News has been able to confirm that some lines, such as R1, went over four hours without any trains running at all.

Trains started running again in Sants early in the afternoon.

Union blames failure to notify drivers

The largest train drivers' union, Semaf, accused Renfe of failing to notify them that two in three workers were expected to deliver minimum services and stressed that all of those who had been requested to work complied.

Semaf wants Renfe to restore the number of trains operating on a daily basis, which has decreased by a thousand, and for 700 workers to recover their position.

Beyond September 30, the union has also called strikes for October 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, and 12.