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The Basque government has locked in two-hour peak-hour stoppages at Euskotren for Wednesday, September 23, 2026, the last of six strike days called by the LAB union across every workplace of Eusko Trenbideak Ferrocarriles Vascos S.A. The September 4, 2026, order from Second Vice President and Economy, Work and Employment minister Miguel Torres Lorenzo sets the September 23 windows at 7:50 a.m. to 9:50 a.m. and 6:50 p.m. to 8:50 p.m. local time, with at least 30 percent of ordinary programmed services required to keep running.
If you are riding Euskotren trains, trams, funiculars, or replacement buses in the Basque Country today, treat those two windows as reduced-service periods and check the live planner before you leave for the station. Travelers pairing a rail hop with a wider Spain itinerary can start with Deep Arrival’s Things to Do in Spain guide, then build extra time around Bilbao, Donostia-San Sebastian, and Vitoria-Gasteiz connections that depend on Euskotren.
- Last listed strike day: Wednesday, September 23, 2026, under the Basque government order dated September 4.
- Morning window: 7:50 a.m. to 9:50 a.m. local time.
- Evening window: 6:50 p.m. to 8:50 p.m. local time.
- Minimum service: at least 30 percent of ordinary programmed services, with the same share of replacement transport.
- Scope: all Euskotren workplaces, including train, tram, funicular, and road services.
September 23 Windows Hit Morning and Evening Peaks
LAB called the action at every Euskotren workplace on six nonconsecutive September weekdays: the 7th, 9th, 15th, 17th, 21st, and 23rd. The government order groups those dates into three pairs with different clocks. September 21 and 23 share the latest pair, 7:50 a.m. to 9:50 a.m. and 6:50 p.m. to 8:50 p.m. The order states that the stoppages fall on working days and in the hours of heaviest passenger use.
Independent monitoring at Strike Tracker’s Spain board, updated Wednesday, September 23, 2026, still lists the Basque Country Euskotren peak-hour series as active, naming Bilbao, Donostia-San Sebastian, and the LAB call. That listing confirms the same series the Basque order published. It is not a live cancellation board and does not replace Euskotren’s journey planner for a specific train.
Euskotren is a public company owned by the Basque autonomous administration. Its remit covers passenger and freight rail, trams, funiculars, and road services. The strike call covers staff on annual service planning plus the train, tram, line, station, operations, depot, control-center, funicular, and road-inspector roles named in the order.
Minimum Services Keep 30 Percent of Scheduled Trains
The RESUELVE section requires a number of services equal to at least 30 percent of ordinary programmed services during each window. That share must go first to lines without an alternative public-transport option and to lines that serve health centers. The same 30 percent floor applies to substitution services, and the company must cover work start and finish hours inside that floor.
A train, tram, or bus that began its trip before a window opens must finish its usual run. The Basque government wrote that rule so passengers are not stranded mid-journey and so vehicles are not left out of position when the two-hour stoppage ends. After the window closes, movements needed to restore a normal timetable also count as minimum services.
Thirty percent is a floor, not a published cancellation list. Euskotren assigns the named staff who will work the minimums after hearing worker representatives, and those assignments rotate. The order does not name which Durango, Bermeo, Topo, or tram trips survive each window. The only way to know whether your departure is among the 30 percent is to check Euskotren’s planner close to departure.
Trams, Funiculars, and Buses Share the Same Order
The strike notice and the minimum-service order both cover all workplaces. A traveler using the Vitoria-Gasteiz tram, a funicular, or an Euskotren bus during the September 23 peaks sits inside the same legal frame as someone boarding a train at Atxuri or Amara. Substitution buses that already cover a rail gap also sit at 30 percent during the windows.
Lines with no alternative public transport and lines that serve hospitals get first claim on the reduced timetable. That priority matters in smaller Basque towns where Euskotren is the only timed public ride to a clinic or a connection. In Bilbao and Donostia-San Sebastian, metro, municipal bus, or Renfe options may exist, but they are not automatic substitutes for an Euskotren branch the order still treats as essential when no alternative is available.
Earlier September Dates Used Different Clock Times
Do not reuse earlier strike clocks for September 23. September 7 and 9 used 7:10 a.m. to 9:10 a.m. and 6:10 p.m. to 8:10 p.m. September 15 and 17 used 6:20 a.m. to 8:20 a.m. and 5:20 p.m. to 7:20 p.m. A 7:20 a.m. train that sat inside the September 15 window sits outside the September 23 morning window.
The Basque labor authority held a hearing on August 27, 2026, and recorded no allegations in the set period. Euskotren asked on August 31 for a meeting on annual-plan bargaining and how a percentage floor should work. That meeting took place on September 2 without an agreement. The September 4 order then set the 30 percent floor, the finish-the-trip rule, and the six-day calendar. LAB’s aim, as quoted in the order, is that Euskotren write the annual service plan under rules agreed with the union side after consulting staff on consecutive workdays, nights, and shift hardness.
Rechecking Tickets and Connections Before You Travel
Build the September 23 trip around the live Euskotren app and station boards, not around a weekday habit. If your train is scheduled inside a window, have a later Euskotren option and, where it exists, a metro, municipal bus, or Renfe backup. If your train is scheduled to leave before 7:50 a.m. or 6:50 p.m., it should complete its usual run under the order, but a tight connection after that arrival can still fail if the next leg is an Euskotren trip inside the window.
Airport and intercity travelers connecting through Bilbao or Donostia-San Sebastian should not treat Euskotren as a guaranteed last-mile ride during the peaks. Leave extra time, or use a taxi or a non-Euskotren city service for the station-to-airport hop if the planner shows a gap. Keep ticket receipts and use Euskotren’s own change and refund path if a booked ride is cancelled.
The Basque government’s public register still lists the Euskotren order on its servicios minimos page as the September 4, 2026, instrument covering September 7, 9, 15, 17, 21, and 23. That page is the place to confirm the legal calendar has not been replaced. Strike Tracker’s Spain board is the independent date check. Neither source is a seat map.
| If you… | What to do |
|---|---|
| Commute on Euskotren between 7:50 and 9:50 a.m. on September 23 | Expect a 30 percent floor, not a full timetable. Check the planner and leave earlier or later than the window if you can. |
| Need an evening trip between 6:50 and 8:50 p.m. | Treat that second window the same way. Have a non-Euskotren backup in Bilbao or Donostia-San Sebastian if one exists. |
| Board a train that starts before the window opens | The order says that trip should finish its usual run. Recheck any Euskotren connection after you arrive. |
| Use a tram, funicular, or Euskotren bus | Stay inside the same 30 percent rule. Do not assume only heavy rail is affected. |
September 23 morning, 7:50 a.m. local, is the first remaining window. If your trip sits inside it, check the live planner tonight and again before you leave for the station.
September 23 evening, 6:50 p.m. local, is the last window in the published series. After 8:50 p.m., the listed strike calendar in the September 4 order is complete unless a new call appears.
The 30 percent floor is the operating rule, not a promise of your usual train. Hospital-bound and no-alternative lines should keep a larger share of what still runs.
Is Euskotren on strike on September 23?
Yes. The Basque government order of September 4, 2026, lists September 23 as the last of six LAB strike days at every Euskotren workplace, with two-hour morning and evening peak windows.
What time is the Euskotren strike on September 23?
The order sets 7:50 a.m. to 9:50 a.m. and 6:50 p.m. to 8:50 p.m. local time. Those clocks are later than the windows used on September 7, 9, 15, and 17.
Will Euskotren trains run during the strike windows?
At least 30 percent of ordinary programmed services must run, with priority for lines that lack an alternative and lines that serve health centers. Your specific train is not guaranteed unless the live planner still shows it.
Does the Euskotren strike include trams and funiculars?
Yes. The call and the minimum-service order cover all workplaces of Eusko Trenbideak Ferrocarriles Vascos S.A., including tram, funicular, and road services as well as trains.
If my train left before 7:50 a.m., does it keep going?
The order says services that started before a window begins must finish their usual trip. Any Euskotren connection after that arrival can still fall inside the reduced-service window.
Is there another Euskotren strike after September 23?
The published September 4 order names only September 7, 9, 15, 17, 21, and 23. September 23 is the last date on that list. Watch the Basque minimum-service register for any later order.
