Travellers have been urged to avoid using trains to enter or leave Huelva in an unprecedented public warning.

It comes after weeks of repeated breakdowns, chronic delays and the recent Adamuz rail disaster has pushed confidence in the railway network to breaking point.

In an extraordinary move, the Huelva Chamber of Commerce has advised people to use alternative forms of transport until the safety and reliability of rail services can be officially guaranteed, describing the move as ‘an act of responsibility’ towards passengers.

The recommendation comes after what business leaders describe as an ‘unsustainable’ series of incidents, including frequent mechanical failures, lengthy delays and the high-profile Adamuz accident, which together have turned rail travel into what they called ‘a real obstacle course’.

Chamber president Daniel Toscano said passengers now have no certainty that a train will depart on time, avoid breaking down or even reach its destination without leaving hundreds of travellers stranded.

‘We never know whether the train will leave on time, whether it will suffer a breakdown, whether it will arrive hours late or whether it will once again leave hundreds of passengers stranded,’ Toscano said in a strongly-worded statement.

He said recommending alternative transport was the only responsible course of action until confidence in the service could be restored.

The warning has taken on added significance as Andalucia continues to endure an intense heatwave, with temperatures climbing above 44C in parts of the region.

According to the Chamber, Renfe has been unable to guarantee that problems affecting onboard air conditioning systems have been fully resolved, raising concerns that passengers could once again be forced to endure extreme temperatures inside stranded trains.

The organisation warned that this poses not only a major inconvenience but also a potential risk to passengers’ health and wellbeing during the height of summer.

The Chamber has directed its criticism at rail operator Renfe, infrastructure manager ADIF and Spain’s Ministry of Transport, insisting the recommendation will remain in place until the authorities publicly demonstrate that the causes of the repeated failures have been resolved.

It is demanding official guarantees that the network can operate safely, reliably and normally, alongside immediate emergency measures and accelerated investment to restore public confidence.

Beyond the disruption to travellers, business leaders warned that the ongoing rail crisis is damaging Huelva’s economy at a crucial moment.

The province is currently attracting major investment across the industrial, energy, mining and logistics sectors, but Toscano argued that poor rail connections threaten to undermine its competitiveness.

‘It is incomprehensible that a province with this potential continues to have rail connections unworthy of the 21st century,’ he said.

‘We are putting our competitiveness, our image and the confidence of those who want to invest, work or visit our province at risk.’

He concluded by calling on the government to turn long-standing promises to improve Huelva’s rail infrastructure into concrete action.

Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.