Railway workers’ strike in Portugal likely to affect travel on these dates

Train services are and will be severely affected as a result

Workers from the Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP) state company have declared industrial action on the days of 2 and 4 January. During the first official day of the strike, SIC Noticias reported that already more than a hundred trains had been suspended today and passengers can expect similar conditions on Thursday when the labour walkout will take place once again.

Workers at Infraestruturas de Portugal want better working conditions, starting with their wages. They therefore decided to stop this Tuesday and Thursday, but the impact of the service disruptions will also likely be felt on Wednesday and Friday. This means that commuters and tourists should prepare for a tough week ahead and adjust their travelling plans accordingly.

What to do if you have Portuguese train tickets

IP workers are the people employed to maintain the railway and technical infrastructure, such as the tracks, which make it possible for the Comboios de Portugal (CP) to operate. They are not directly involved in providing mobility services, yet their strike directly affects the capacity of CP to do its job properly.

For customers who have already purchased tickets to travel on Alfa Pendular, Intercidades, Internacional, InterRegional and Regional services, CP will offer a full refund of the ticket value or a free exchange for another train of the same category and class.

The situation is dire enough as the first day of the labour action shows, in a note sent to Lusa agency about the impact of this strike on CP, the train operator states that of the 436 trains scheduled, only 158 could depart.

Workers at Infraestruturas de Portugal want better working conditions, starting with their wages. If IP does not want to start negotiating, employees also promise a new strike on 10 January so it’s a good idea to keep an eye on these developments if you’re planning a train trip in Portugal on that date, too.