In Spain, drivers went on strike – about 40% of flights were canceled

Spanish train drivers went on strike on Tuesday, November 10, demanding increased investment in maintenance and safety after the second fatal train crash in Spain this year.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez last week appointed his deputy Carlos Cuerpo as interim transport minister after Oscar Puente resigned over two crashes on the same Madrid-Sevilla expressway this year that killed 115 people.

"According to the state-run rail company, about 40 percent of long- and medium-haul flights were cancelled on Tuesday, affecting 4,042 passengers, as well as 90 percent of flights in Madrid's suburban network and 50 percent of flights in Barcelona," the report said.

In the city of Leganes, which is near Madrid, passengers had to get to the center by bus. According to the state operator, at least five lines of the city's local commuter train network were out of service and three more were partially serviced.

“In the Catalonia region, a local operator said trains were delayed due to non-compliance with minimum service requirements,” the report said.

Talks with the government to improve safety on Spain's high-speed rail network, the most extensive in Europe, began after a crash in southern Spain in January that killed 46 people but was halted in April, according to a statement from the train drivers union.