Mallorca: SFM raises eight-minute delay threshold for trains

The Mallorca railway company SFM now classifies arrivals up to eight minutes late as on time. Commuters and the Més party are outraged, while the Ministry of Transport cites rising passenger numbers.

SFM will allow up to eight minutes of delay

From now on, train arrivals in Mallorca up to eight minutes late are still considered on time. The change affects the routes operated by Serveis Ferroviaris de Mallorca (SFM) — that is, the regional trains that in the morning pick up commuters from Palma and the coastal towns.

Real-world reactions

Those waiting at 7:30 a.m. at the Estació Intermodal in Palma immediately notice: small delays irritate. They say: Five minutes are still okay, but if this happens more often, you end up paying for it uselessly, says a woman with a shopping bag who has commuted daily for years. Unions and the left-wing party Més speak of a kind of normalization of unreliability — in plain terms: you lower expectations instead of solving problems.

Authorities' justification

The Ministry of Transport, however, points to a development that cannot be ignored: demand has risen sharply in the last ten years — from a few million to around 11 million passengers per year. Cars become fuller, timetables denser, and the ministry sees the adjustment as a pragmatic response to better align statistics with everyday life.

Why it triggers nervousness

For commuters a few minutes are often decisive — at the start of work, for appointments, when connecting to a bus or ferry. Critics fear that such a buffer creates incentives not to treat infrastructure problems as a priority: too few trains, tight junctions, and maintenance backlogs remain unresolved.

On the platform, people tell me about missed bus connections in Manacor or long waiting times in the summer when the trains are full. A retiree dryly laughs: Earlier three minutes was on time, now it's eight. Next year they'll say: 20 minutes — that's still humane.

What is important now

More transparency would be a start: clear information on reasons for delays, replacement services, and improvement plans. A candid dialogue between SFM, the Ministry of Transport, and passenger representatives would also help ease the frustration.

Whether the new regulation helps only on paper, or whether it will fuel the quality discussion in the long term — that will be decided in the coming months. For commuters, the message is clear: leave earlier or keep an eye on the clock.