The incident happened on the evening before Easter weekend. The train was en route from Madrid to the city of León, in northern Spain, but stranded 61 kilometers before its final destination, in the village of Sahagún. 2600 people live there. Before he left, the driver announced that the train could not continue because the track between Sahagún and León was blocked.
Continue via the highway
When the passengers thought that it was all taking a very long time and some went to see what was going on, it turned out that the driver had disappeared. Later, passengers read on the screens in the carriages that the driver was away because his hours were up and that they had to use alternative transport.
Renfe, the Spanish state-owned train company, defends its driver by reporting that he indeed had too long a working day. Earlier in the day he had driven a train that was delayed by 88 minutes. As a result, his duty schedule changed and at Sahagún he exceeded his maximum working hours, according to Renfe.
According to the rules
Renfe adds that although Spanish drivers have 8-hour working days, they are only allowed to drive a train for 5.5 hours at a time. This rule is intended to ensure that drivers remain concentrated. The 88 minutes that the driver spent in his stationary train due to the delay earlier in the day do not count as a break, according to Renfe.
Ultimately, all passengers were picked up by buses two hours later and bus drivers took them to their final destination. One of the passengers decided to share the story on social medium
Competition
The news is not at all timely for Renfe. The Spanish train company has recently had competition on the railways. Two private train companies, one with French owners, the other with Italian shareholders, are making things very difficult for Renfe. The two competitors sell their train tickets a lot cheaper than state-owned company Renfe, which has ended up in the red due to competition.
Tags: Spanish driver doesnt feel working overtime leaves train passengers
