Drivers travelling to and around Andalucía during the All Saints holiday weekend could encounter heavier traffic as Spain’s traffic authority prepares for a nationwide surge in road journeys. The Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT) expects 5.34 million long-distance trips across the period, in addition to shorter local journeys.
The holiday getaway operation began at 3pm on Friday, October 30. According to the DGT forecast reported by Euro Weekly News, the busiest stretch was expected between 4pm and 10pm, particularly on routes leaving major cities and heading towards coastal areas, mountain destinations and second homes. Saturday was also expected to bring busy roads from the morning.
The DGT is monitoring routes to and from Andalucía because train services have been suspended following a collision near Urda, in Toledo province. The crash involved an AVE high-speed train and a stopped Iryo train on the Madrid–Seville line on Wednesday, October 28. Euro Weekly News reported that 74 deaths had been confirmed at the time of publication and that the cause was under investigation.
With rail services disrupted, the DGT expects some passengers to make their journeys by private car or coach. The authority’s warning concerns national traffic volumes; no specific estimate of additional vehicles on Andalucía’s roads was provided.
All Saints Day falls on Sunday, November 1, when families commonly make short trips to cemeteries. Return traffic is expected to build from Sunday afternoon in regions where Monday is a working day. In Andalucía and several other autonomous communities where Monday, November 2 is a bank holiday, the main return journeys are expected on Monday afternoon. The DGT’s operation is scheduled to run until midnight on November 2 in those regions, and until midnight on November 1 elsewhere.
The authority advises drivers to check conditions before setting out through its website, dgt.es, its @DGTes account on X or the 011 information line. It also said traffic officers would be supported by speed cameras, helicopters, drones and systems that detect mobile-phone use and failure to wear seatbelts. Roadworks affecting traffic are to be paused, while lorries will face restrictions on some roads at specified times.
Drivers are also reminded to leave a passage for emergency vehicles when traffic is at walking pace or stopped. On roads with two lanes in each direction, the gap should be created between the lanes; on three-lane roads, it should be formed between the far-left lane and the lane beside it. The discovery report also notes that a V-16 emergency beacon is compulsory if a vehicle breaks down.