Is everything back to normal in Spain after the nationwide blackout?
The "historic" power cut that hit all of mainland Spain on Monday caused widespread disruption across the country. Has everything practically returned to normal on Tuesday or are services still affected?
States of emergency were called in several regions of the country on Monday including in Andalusia, Extremadura, La Rioja, Madrid, Murcia, Castilla-La Mancha, Galicia and Valencia, following the failure of the electrical system, but many other areas were also left without power and chaos was seen throughout the country.
According to REE power operator, electricity had been restored to more than 99 percent of mainland Spain by Tuesday morning.
This means life is returning to some sense of normality for the majority of people across the country who now have power back in their homes and businesses, as well as working internet once again.
However, the Spanish government has said that getting everything completely back to normal is going to be a process which could take a little bit longer.
READ ALSO: What we know about the cause of Spain's nationwide blackout
Transport was one of the sectors most affected by the blackout and thousands of people were stuck on trains, at stations or in metro carriages.
Many people spent an uncomfortable night sleeping on the floor of places such as Atocha train station in Madrid or Sants station in Barcelona, unable to get back home or continue their journeys.
Some were even stuck on trains for 10 or more hours waiting to be rescued or for the power to return so they could continue their journeys.
As of Tuesday morning, there were still around 1,000 people waiting at Sants station in Barcelona to catch a high-speed train to Madrid.
A number of train lines have also been affected, so if you’re planning on travelling today you might still find some disruption.
Spain’s Transport Minister Óscar Puente has said that some train lines have been cancelled until further notice, this includes regional Cercanías trains in and around Bilbao, Cádiz, Seville, Zaragoza, Vigo and San Sebastián.
READ ALSO: Power restored to '99 percent' of mainland Spain after massive blackout
Madrid's Cercanías commuter train system is operating at 50 percent this morning, and in Valencia some lines have been restored but with “reduced services”.
Spain's state rail operator Renfe confirms that they have resumed normal service between Madrid and Barcelona, Valencia, Murcia, Alicante, the Basque Country, and Algeciras.
According to data from the Ministry of Transport, 48,638 people were unable to travel on Monday during the blackout, so many of them will be looking to travel today instead, put extra strain on the system.
Airport operator AENA says that “all airports remain operational”, but they recommend that “passengers check the status of public transportation services to airports and consult with their airline about the status of their flight”.
Iberia has cancelled 23 of its 247 scheduled flights on Tuesday and is offering the option to rebook tickets for another time. easyJet is also offering the option to exchange your ticket free of charge for a voucher or a ticket to fly within 72 hours. The budget airline has experienced some disruptions to its schedule, and cancelled some flights to Madrid.
IN PICTURES: Nationwide blackout causes chaos in Spain
As for drivers, the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) has asked citizens this Tuesday to avoid using the roads unless strictly necessary. If you must travel, the DGT recommends “drive with caution and take extreme care until normal traffic conditions are restored”.
Schools remain back to normal and operational in some parts of the country, but in others classes have been cancelled.
Schools in Madrid, Andalusia, Castilla-La Mancha, Extremadura, Galicia, La Rioja, Murcia, Valencia, and Aragón have reopened their doors this Tuesday, but have postponed all lessons.
As well as having no electricity, no phone signal and no internet, some residents also had to deal with a cut in water supplies too. This was the case for some areas of Barcelona.
Aigües de Barcelona reported this morning that they have restored water service to a large part of the metropolitan area, which has been affected since Monday due to the power outage. Other areas expected to have normal service in the coming hours.
thelocal
