Trains in Mallorca: August cuts journeys in half and collapses the network

Published on August 04, 2026 | Translated from Spanish

Més per Mallorca has denounced that train schedules this August on the island have suffered a drastic cut. Two out of every three trains between Palma and Inca have been eliminated, leaving frequencies of half an hour or even an hour. Users face packed carriages, constant delays, and few real alternatives, with several municipalities that do not even have bus service. In the middle of high season, daily mobility becomes an ordeal for residents and visitors.

crowded regional train interior during summer rush hour, packed passengers standing in narrow aisle, sweat on foreheads, one hand gripping overhead metal handle, another checking phone showing delayed schedule, train window revealing Mediterranean coastal blur, heat haze over tracks, worn blue seat fabric, harsh fluorescent lighting, documentary photorealistic style, shallow depth of field, motion vibration blur, dense human mass, frustrated expressions, technical journalism visual, realistic color grading

The cost of the works: prioritizing infrastructure over daily service 🚧

The reduction in frequencies responds to the need to carry out improvement works on the network, a decision justified by the regional government as part of the line's modernization. However, the practical result is that the available trains run with an occupancy that exceeds one hundred percent of their capacity during peak hours. The lack of coordination with the bus service, which does not cover the affected routes, leaves passengers without a plan B. Delays pile up due to the confluence of works and traffic, and the station's information system offers contradictory data. The technology applied to signaling has not prevented a single train at rush hour from determining the chaos of an entire morning.

Solution? Get off and wait for the next one, if it comes ⏳

The new strategy seems to be that the passenger enjoys the scenery between Palma and Inca while waiting on the platform. With frequencies exceeding half an hour, one has plenty of time to reflect on life, the heat, and the luck of not needing to use the restroom. The packed carriages offer a forced coexistence experience that even the best team building coach could not achieve. Of course, if the train is delayed, the next one arrives in no less than an hour: a luxury that only those with no schedule to keep can afford. The regional government asks for patience, but patience also has its limits, especially when the thermometer reads forty degrees.