In a first half marked by the Adamuz (Córdoba) accident in January, several subsequent incidents and speed restrictions on the network, as well as strikes called in the sector, rail travel fell by 8.6% between January and June, from 357.34 million passengers in the first half of 2025 to 326.59 million in the first half of 2026.
LESS CONFIDENCE IN RAIL TRAVEL
In the second quarter, passenger numbers fell 5.3% year on year to 172.07 million. This decline followed the sharper 12% drop recorded in the first quarter.
The decrease in rail use in Spain during the first half translated into a 15.5% drop in high-speed rail passengers, following a decade of uninterrupted growth apart from the pandemic period.
As for freight transport, it declined by 2.2% year on year between March and June, also marking a second consecutive quarter of losses after the 11.4% drop in the first quarter. Over the first six months, the decrease stood at 6.5%.
