Incidents, construction work, and speed restrictions on the Spanish rail network sharply reduced traffic in the first quarter of 2026. According to the CNMC, Spain’s market and competition authority, commercial high-speed services carried 8.05 million passengers, 21% fewer than during the same period in 2025. Rail freight transport, in turn, fell to levels close to pandemic lows.
The first quarter of 2026 confirmed the severe impact of incidents and track work on the Spanish rail network. Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia (CNMC), the Spanish regulatory authority for markets and competition, reports that all passenger services saw declines in activity.
The most noticeable decline was in long-distance high-speed rail, where operators such as Renfe, Iryo, and Ouigo España operate. The segment carried 8.05 million passengers from January to March, 21% fewer than in the first quarter of 2025.
It wasn’t just demand that fell. Seat capacity was reduced by 12% as a result of operational restrictions, line closures, temporary speed limits, and a reduction in the number of trains.
Madrid–Málaga, the hardest-hit corridor
The hardest-hit high-speed corridor was Madrid–Málaga/Granada, where passenger numbers plummeted by 61% compared to the same period last year.
On the Madrid–Seville route, the decline was 27%, and on the Madrid–Barcelona route—Spain’s main high-speed corridor—passenger traffic fell by 17%.
The corridors toward the Levante region fared better: Madrid–Valencia lost 8% of its passengers, and Madrid–Alicante saw a 6% decline.
The quarter was marked by several major infrastructure problems. The accident on the Madrid–Seville high-speed line, which occurred at Adamuz, disrupted service for nearly a month. In the south, a landslide near Álora disrupted connections to Málaga and Granada for weeks. On the Madrid–Barcelona corridor, speed restrictions imposed due to the condition of the infrastructure lengthened travel times.
Declines Also for Cercanías and Media Distancia
The crisis was not limited to high-speed trains. According to the CNMC, Cercanías services—the equivalent of metropolitan and commuter trains in Spain—lost 14% of their passengers in the first quarter.
Media Distancia Convencional, the conventional regional services, saw a 32% decline, while Media Distancia Alta Velocidad—that is, the Avant services—lost 15% of their ridership.
The CNMC notes that part of the decline may be linked to the elimination of free recurring passes, which had been in effect until mid-2025. However, the regulator emphasizes that service delivery was directly affected by incidents, speed restrictions, and service reductions across the network.
The situation was particularly tense at Rodalies de Catalunya, Catalonia’s commuter and regional rail network, where repeated incidents fueled tensions between the Ministry of Transportation, Adif—the Spanish rail infrastructure manager—and the Generalitat, the Catalan regional government.
Prices Remain Below Pre-Liberalization Levels
Despite the deterioration in service, competition among operators continued to keep prices under pressure on the liberalized high-speed corridors.
According to the CNMC, the average price excluding VAT was 46 euros on the Madrid–Barcelona route, 33 euros on the Madrid–Seville route, 32 euros on the Madrid–Málaga route, 27 euros on the Madrid–Alicante route, and 26 euros on the Madrid–Valencia route.
The Spanish authority notes that, following the liberalization of the rail market, average prices on long-distance high-speed corridors were 33–42% lower than before the entry of new operators.
In other words, the competitive market continued to influence fares, but it could not offset the impact of infrastructure affected by construction, restrictions, and incidents.
Rail Freight, Close to Pandemic Levels
Rail freight transport was also hit hard. Activity fell by approximately 13% in net ton-kilometers, reaching levels close to the lows recorded in 2020 during the pandemic.
Overall, the sector saw a 8.2% decrease in tons transported, an 11.9% decrease in train-kilometers, and a 15.9% decrease in revenue compared to the same period last year. According to the CNMC, the decline is linked both to incidents on the network and to work carried out on the rail infrastructure.
The impact was particularly severe on international and intermodal traffic, which was affected by problems in Catalonia and southern Spain.
Captrain and Renfe Mercancías Among the Most Affected
In freight transport, one of the most affected operators was Captrain España, a company within the French SNCF group and one of the main traction operators for international traffic in Spain. The company’s intermodal traffic fell by nearly 40% in ton-kilometers compared to the same period in 2025, and its market share dropped to 18%.
Renfe Mercancías, the public freight operator of the Renfe group, continued to lose market share. The company’s market share stood at approximately 31%, seven percentage points less than last year. Its intermodal segment lost 50% of its volume in ton-kilometers, and total activity fell by 29.1% compared to the previous year.
Juan Diego Pedrero, secretary general of the Association of Private Railway Companies (AEFP), attributed the declines to construction work and incidents that disrupted traffic for several weeks. He said that at times, international traffic was completely halted, causing significant economic losses.
Some operators are growing
Not all operators were affected to the same extent. Medway, a rail company within the MSC group, saw a 12.4% increase in ton-kilometers compared to last year, thanks to more diversified traffic flows that were less exposed to blocked corridors.
Continental Rail, a company within the CMA CGM group, managed to maintain a slight increase in its intermodal traffic, up 1.4%, as it was less exposed to the issues in Catalonia.
Smaller operators, such as CSP Logitren, a joint venture with Cosco, and Low Cost Rail (LCR Hispánica), recorded strong growth of 60.7% and 55.7%, respectively, in ton-kilometers. However, these increases stem from lower traffic bases and also reflect the introduction of additional locomotives.
“Survival Mode” for Operators
AEFP warns that the second quarter will not bring a full recovery either. Planned construction work in areas such as Madrid, Guadalajara, and Despeñaperros is overlapping with repairs needed following episodes of severe weather.
Juan Diego Pedrero said that many companies are in “survival mode” and consider 2026 to be all but a lost year from a business development perspective.
The CNMC figures thus reveal a broader problem than a one-off drop in traffic: when infrastructure becomes the main constraint, liberalization and competition can lower prices, but they cannot guarantee an increase in traffic on their own. In the first quarter of 2026, Spain had more operators in the market, but fewer trains, fewer passengers, and freight volumes close to pandemic-era levels.
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