Barcelona Metro Stops for Hours as General Strike Hits Nov. 11

Barcelona’s metro stopped running at 9:30 on Wednesday, Nov. 11, as the legally required minimum service ended during the general strike. Trains are being pulled off the network and the system stays dark until 16:30, according to Metrópoli Abierta, which cited TMB’s official account on X.

TMB (Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona, the city’s metro and bus operator) has also shut some station entrances and connecting corridors, so passengers changing lines must walk outside between stations.

Metro hours during the strike

On an ordinary working day the metro runs from 5:00 to 00:00. Under the strike, the Generalitat de Catalunya (the Catalan government) guaranteed minimum service only during the busiest morning and afternoon periods. As a result the network is completely stopped for more than 10 hours: from 5:00 to 6:30, from 9:30 to 16:30 and from 21:00 to 00:00.

When trains return in mid-afternoon, they run on a timetable of 25% minimum service. The Generalitat stated that outside the set time bands, no minimum percentage of trips is fixed for passenger transport. That is why many stations are closed during the middle of the day.

Metrópoli Abierta reported that Barcelona is without public transport for a further 7 hours after the minimum services ended, with bus stops also taken out of use.

Crowds, closed entrances and empty stations

The strike was called by the main unions, including CCOO and UGT, along with other groups tied to housing issues. Even so, the outlet reported that some stations saw crowding as people tried to board the trains that were still running under the minimums.

To keep people safe inside stations, TMB closed access points at busy stations on many lines and sealed off some interchange passages. Other stations that are normally packed were nearly empty, because many people did not go to work.

Pickets and road blockages

Metrópoli Abierta’s related coverage describes wider disruption. According to its headlines, pickets stopped some train drivers from carrying out their minimum duties, and 13 of 44 trains did not leave. The same outlet also reports that pickets cut the A-2 highway and the Ronda Litoral, a ring road along the coast, and blocked access to Mercabarna, the city’s wholesale food market.

What it means for people in Barcelona

For commuters, the middle of the day has no metro at all, and the stations that are open may have restricted entrances. Residents who rely on the metro, the most used transport in the city for locals, workers and tourists, face the longest gaps between 9:30 and 16:30. Visitors moving around the city are affected in the same way.

Bus stops in some places have been disabled, according to the report, so the usual alternative to the metro is also limited. Roads on the edge of the city have seen blockades from pickets.

What to watch next

The next scheduled change is the return of reduced metro service from 16:30, at 25% of normal. Another full stoppage is set for 21:00 until midnight. TMB is posting updates on its official X account, which the report names as the source of the service information.

Source: Metrópoli Abierta