Ouigo has cancelled all its trains between Alicante and Madrid for Friday 30 October and Monday 2 November because of a drivers’ strike at the company, with the suspension covering every route in its Spanish network.
The decision also affects passengers using its services from Elche to travel towards the capital, on two days of the All Saints’ holiday period.
Across Spain, the cancellations involve 40 trains and around 20,000 passengers; those figures cover the operator’s network rather than the Alicante connection alone.
Changes, refunds and compensation
Passengers holding tickets for the affected dates can choose between changing their journey at no additional cost and requesting a full refund of the amount they paid.
Alongside those options, Ouigo is announcing additional compensation of up to 200% of the ticket price, both for passengers who change their booking and for those who request a refund, subject to the applicable conditions.
The percentage is an advertised maximum, not a fixed payment for every traveller: affected passengers should check the conditions communicated for their particular booking.
The company is notifying customers through the email address supplied when they bought their tickets, while its customer service channels remain available for enquiries about the cancellations.
Why the services have been suspended
The decision follows the National Court’s provisional suspension of the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility resolution setting average minimum service levels of 72% during the strike.
The operator says that, without that framework, it cannot guarantee which trains will run during the stoppages and has chosen to cancel every departure on both dates to avoid uncertainty at stations.
SEMAF called the strike on 7 October over a labour dispute concerning the application of the collective agreement; Ouigo says it is continuing talks with union representatives in an attempt to reach a settlement.
The announced suspension does not cover the entire holiday period: trains on Saturday 31 October and Sunday 1 November remain scheduled to operate normally, according to the company’s information.
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