Renfe

Renfe has proposed to improve once and for all vicinity. And Madrid will take a pinch of 400 million euros

by

The vicinity service in Madrid is having a performance, according to Renfe, of “positive” but it is very likely that if you ask travelers who take this service daily give you a different answer. To launch this assessment, the company is based on the fact that the 85.3% of the services provided In the Community of Madrid they arrive on time. And to maintain this valuation, more than 400 million euros will be invested. Assiduous incidents. Despite what Renfe says, the truth is that the incidents in Madrid trains are usual. Although generalized incidents are lower and are a few minutes of waiting, it is not uncommon for situations such as last July in which All lines were affected either delays that are especially complicated Now that the city is full of works. In fact, criticisms have long been part of the Madrid political debate. The Government of Spain has taken advantage of subway delays repeatedly for CRiticate to local entities and These have returned the ball Remembering that the city suffers from nearbyver breakdowns, which are the competence of the government. A patch that exceeds 400 million euros. In two games that will break that figure. First, Renfe has tendered a contest for a new maintenance contract for interurban trains for the next three years. This contest has 61.5 million euros assigned in the case of Madrid (Catalonia, Galicia, Andalusia, Extremadura, Aragon and Castilla y León also have their own lots). But, in addition, the 2025-2030 Industrial Installations Plan has been launched, which is assigned a game of 350 million euros in the case of Madrid. That is, in total it is planned to spend about 411.5 million euros in the near Madrid. Trains maintenance. In The Spanish newspaper They point out that the game of 61.5 million euros is dedicated exclusively to the maintenance of 82 trains of the 465 series that will be reduced to the 60 vehicles. This maintenance will be carried out at the base of Madrid Atocha. This investment is part of the 485 million euros that this year has confirmed Renfe for the maintenance of this type of trains throughout Spain. In total, there are 430 trains (a fleet in which there are also medium distance trains) that will gradually be renewed because they are at the end of their useful life. In Madrid there will be 22 who should get out of circulation. The Industrial Facilities Plan 2025-2030. This project is focused on improving the maintenance capacity of the rail network, as well as adapting the rolling material and, above all, to improve operational efficiency so that trains find unforeseen lower. Those 350 million euros are part of A package of up to 1 billion euros that will be distributed throughout Spain. The new trains that are going to reach the fleet forces to renew the existing facilities and the material so they are going to create new maintenance bases (Aranjuez, Alcalá de Henares, Móstoles-El Soto and Vicálvaro in Madrid). The new trains. The reduction in the fleet of the 465 series of the trains that Renfe has available is included in A much greater game that the company is dedicating to improve and renew the fleet and facilities throughout Spain. The plan began in 2020 and has been receiving various backs. The new trains will be manufactured by Alstom, Stadler and CAF and some of them are already testing. The renewal of more than 400 trains comes after 15 years of drought in which Renfe has not bought any train to renew the fleet. Of course, it has been sold that the new vehicles will have more and better sensor -based systems to monitor the components more closely and advance the possible breakdowns, taking out the trains of the circulation for their maintenance before the failure occurs. Photo | Germán Poo-Caamaño In Xataka | Renfe is delighted to have competition in Madrid-Galicia. Especially since he knows that he will not have competition

Renfe is delighted to have competition in Madrid-Galicia. Especially since he knows that he will not have competition

by

The Galician corridor is being the great revelation of high speed in what we have been. Although at the end of 2024 its potential was already suggested, the hug at high speed is being so high that, it has even had its consequences in a lower demand for plane tickets. Now, the government already paves the way for other companies to begin to exploit that market. Market that cannot be exploited. “High potential” Are the words with which the government summarizes the possibility that the Renfe Monopoly in Madrid-Galicia. Until now, only this company is operating in one of the most successful runners in our country. They explain in The voice of Galicia that Adif is finalizing the requirements that will be necessary to meet the operational approval. That is, with the green flag to operate in the Galician corridor that will be carried out through “multiannual framework agreements”, the same process that has allowed Iroyo and Ouigo to operate in the Spanish corridors who have already enabled the competition to Renfe. Second phase. The presentation of this regulatory framework enters into the New phase that opens in liberalization of the Spanish high speed roads. Next to the Galician corridor, the open door will also be left to Renfe find competition in the Asturias/Cantabria corridor (which connect with Madrid and share space with the Galician) and the Huelva/Cádiz. The process, they expect in the Government, will conclude at the end of 2026 and believe that it is of great interest to other companies since between 2019 and 2024, The train has already stolen 24% of passengers to the plane. From then on, the competition should arrive very soon. Ought. Yes, but. The problem for Renfe competitors is that the Galician corridor needs trains that can jump in track width. This is mandatory because between Madrid and Orense, trains use the international track width. But between Orense and Santiago, as well as the rest of the connections, such as Vigo, the Iberian width is used that It has different measures. This particularity forces to use the Talgo S106, those same as They cracked on their way to Barcelona. These trains have been sold as the perfect solution since they can change from one width to another but Talgo and CAF have all their production sold For the next few years. And companies like Ouigo find no one who can give them these particular trains. Solution 1. It is the one raised by the Popular Party that, according to The voice of Galicia, They are pressing the Government to adif the road and take, at least to Santiago, the international width beyond Ourense. This should help make the runner a more attractive place for new competitors. Adif, for the moment, discard this possibility. Solution 2. That in the absence of trains, the new competitors rent the rolling material to Renfe. It is something that It has dropped from ouigo and? It has been totally rejected from Renfe. Right now, this last company has a perfect business in Madrid-Galicia because the road will be liberalized but they have all the trains present already short term that can work in that section. What will happen? It remains to be seen if ouigo or any other competitor chooses to operate, at least, even Ourense. However, the attractiveness of this journey is much less because it stays at the gates of Galicia and does not enter to the heart. Nor is it an attractive option for all tourism attracted along the Camino de Santiago that could see on the train a very valid alternative to the plane to return to the capital. Especially now that Santiago airport has drastically reduced its operations with the Ryanair output. Photo | Xataka and Pablo Bretón In Xataka | In his most fateful summer, Renfe’s ambitious bet for the Avril trains has begun as one would expect: regular

Renfe has had a record summer of delays, and more than two million AVE travelers have run out of refund for changes

by

Summer has been hard for rail transport in Spain. Four out of ten high speed trains They arrived late at their destinationbut only three out of 100 passengers were able to claim some kind of compensation, according to The world. The data comes after hardening Refund conditions of Renfe in 2024, the main reason why the figures contrast both with the data prior to the reform. Change of conditions. In July 2024, Renfe reformed Its ‘punctuality commitment’, multiplying the minimum delay time necessary to claim half of the ticket. If 15 minutes were enough to get 50% of the amount, now a full hour is needed. For total refund, the threshold went from 30 minutes to an hour and a half. The company justified this tightening as an “update” to continue being “the most advantageous for the traveler”, as the medium collects. Summer figures. As They point From the world, between June and August, 6,554 long -distance trains and AVE arrived with delays exceeding 15 minutes, affecting 2.5 million passengers. However, with the new rules, only 444,000 travelers were entitled to compensation. This means that more than 2 million users who would have received a refund with the previous criteria were left without it. This, according to the medium, would mean a saving of about 79 million euros only in these three months. Context. The reform is covered in the European Parliament Regulation of 2021, although at that time, Renfe offered much more generous compensations than the minimum required by European regulations. And while the EU forces to compensate with 25% of the ticket after 60 minutes late, the Spanish operator gave 50% with only 15 minutes. Now he has hardened his measures just when more delays are recorded. Problems that follow there. Minister Óscar Puente acknowledged in September that the rail system will continue to have incidents “at least two more years”, according to collect The world. The problems range from Fissures in Talgo S106 trains (which forced to withdraw the low cost services from AVLO on the Madrid-Barcelona route) up to infrastructure deficiencies caused by fireaccording to the medium. The alternative to service, the conventional bird, costs up to 34% more than the economic option eliminated. What comes now? Bridge has traveled to Germany To look for new trains in factories such as Siemens, recognizing that without renewing the fleet it will be impossible to improve the service, as collect The world. “We must not launch the bells on the fly, but if we do not renew the fleet, it is evident that we will not be able to improve in any case the service we are providing to the citizenship,” admits bridge. And in addition to having been a summer to forget in terms of ferroviar delays, it has also agreed that reimbursement conditions have also worsened. Cover image | Falk2 In Xataka | Renfe has a new and gigantic project in progress: a night train to connect Europe from this to west

Renfe trusted Talgo and his Avril trains to benefit from the particularities of Spain. Already look for solutions in Germany

by

Spain is a particular country regarding the railway field. That is why the pair formed by Talgo and Renfe sounded especially good to compete with the new trains operators. Both companies could benefit and get a strategic advantage in the Galician corridor, while allowing him to fight in the rest of our country. The reality is that nothing has gone as expected. And now Spain looks for trains in Germany. “They have not given the best possible result”. This is how Óscar Puente, Minister of Transportation, has described the performance of the Talgo S-106 series that Renfe has had in operation. Words pick them up eldiario.eswho point out that Puente will go to a Siemens factory in Germany in search of solutions. The intention, everything indicates, is to reverse the bad results of the Spanish trains with an acquisition of Germans that allow Renfe to compete again on equal terms with Ouigo and Iroyo, who have found the open doors of high speed Low Cost In Madrid-Barcelona. “Corporate”. The bridge trip comes after Renfe will withdraw his Avlo trains from the Madrid-Barcelona corridor. The company’s official response is that AVE trains adapt better to a line in which a “corporate” client profile is better exploited. It is true that Half of the trips That Renfe was carrying out in this corridor made them with the AVE and that the Avlo market share was significantly lower than that of Ouigo and, above all, that of Iroyo. However, the real motive of its abandonment is that some Talgo trains of the S-106 series were being used. A crack. Metaphorical, if we talk about Renfe’s strategy. Material, if we talk about avlo trains. Those known as Avril, projected to compete with these two foreign companies in business volume, presented serious structural problems a few weeks ago. The company He took them out of circulation although at first He denied the problems. Finally, has taken out of circulation The Avlo service but there is no record of a trains relocation. That is, now ouigo and Iro will compete among them two for high speed at low price in that corridor. An oxygen ball for ouigo, which had retired some trains To show more battle in the Andalusian corridor. Recurring problems. As we pointed out, the bridge itself has already suggested that the operation of the aforementioned S-106 of Talgo has not been expected. The first ones that were launched in the Galician corridor and in the line with Asturias. In both cases they accumulated delays and breakdowns. Besides, Nor did they receive the best criticisms for its performance on the roads. Months later, the change of the year also affected the new cars of Talgo. A computer problem left them unused in the early hours of 2025causing important delays the first days. A few weeks ago the most serious fault occurred. Trains cracked (literally). The first solution was circular at a lower speed. The second, probably the most sensible, remove them from the line. Disappointing. The problem with Talgo’s S-106 series is even more disappointing if we take into account that it is a type of train that allows Renfe to Competitive advantage over Ouigo and Iro In the Galician corridor. Talgo is The only company that had built trains that could adapt to the different widths of our country. With compromised production, no one can buy more trains and, therefore, Renfe is in a monopolistic position in the short term. Therefore, perhaps, the disappointment is greater. Finally, trains that had to demonstrate the good Spanish doing in the railway sector have been working for Spanish roads and delays. But, above all, he has closed Renfe the doors of his great tool to compete against his rivals in a corridor where he dominates. Now, Spain will seek solutions in Germany. Photo | Nelso Silva and Siemens In Xataka | Cabinas instead of traveling as sardines: Nox’s key to convert the night train into the alternative to the plane

Renfe has climbed into the luxury train with a renewed proposal proposal express: al-Andalus

by

Renfe celebrates the 40th anniversary of one of his most emblematic tourist trains, the Al-Andaluswith a great renovation for its 2026 season. With this exclusive luxury train, Renfe climbs into the “Slow Luxury” rebirth car that are promoting international luxury operators such as Belmond Train, owned by LVMH, with proposals for proposals for more rest and exclusive trips aboard of the Orient Express or the Britannic Explorer. A luxury train to the heart of Andalusia. In its proposal by 2026, the Al-Andalus expands its route to include Historical and cultural destinations from Extremadura, Castilla-La Mancha and the Community of Madrid, offering an exceptional trip inspired by the elegance and glamor of another era. This “Orient Express” Spanish It moves passengers to another era full of luxuries and sophistication, but in which everything develops at a slower pace, in contrast to the speed at which the current world moves. That is precisely the experience of traveling on this exclusive train, to enjoy the journey as much as the destination. New route for 2026. The 2026 route is an invitation to discover the patrimonial and gastronomic wealth of the south and the interior of the Peninsula. For seven days, Al-Andalus travelers travel Andalusia, Extremadura, Castilla-La Mancha and Madrid, with stops in such emblematic cities such as Jerez, Cádiz, Sevilla, Córdoba, Toledo, Aranjuez, Cáceres, Mérida and the Spanish capital. This journey maintains the classical duration of seven days and six nights on board, where time passes between fascinating landscapes, cultural stops and an atmosphere that revives the elegance of the early twentieth century. Comforts and luxury services on board. The Al-Andalus train is the longest train that circulates along the Spanish roads, with 450 meters long, equivalent to a skyscraper of 150 plants. It consists of 14 cars that house a total of 64 passengers. Among its amenities are a kitchen car, two restaurants, a bar, a game room and seven beds to rest with all the Comodities of a luxury hotel. The services vary according to the category of accommodation that travelers choose. The large class has an area of ​​6.58 m2 with two individual beds and includes all meals, visits and excursions, welcome cup, cleaning products and shoes. The Deluxe suite offers 8.26 m2 with a careful design and double bed, private bathroom with hydromassage shower and adds exclusive services such as the personnel are responsible for making and undo bags, opening and closing beds and all non -alcoholic beverages of the suite are included. Experiences of another era, current prices. Traveling in Al-Andalus is a luxurious experience that is not available to everyone: For the 2026 seasonprices range between 5,000 and 14,000 euros, depending on the type of accommodation. The Double Class Cabina costs 13,200 euros between two people, while the individual is valued at 11,200 euros. The most exclusive option is the Deluxe double cabin, whose price reaches 15,800 euros, with an individual rate of 13,800 euros. This rate includes a luxury bus that accompanies the train during the tour to facilitate displacements on excursions, in addition to a multilingual guide, safety service and free train transfers from and from the start and end points of the route. In Xataka | Private Jets have lost glamor among the rich: now they prefer to go “of Chill” in exclusive luxury trains cars Image | Renfe

Renfe is choking the liberalization of high speed. With vicinity you have another plan: delay it as much as possible

by

Spain has to liberalize the vicinity service. Not because the government wants, because it is a European commandment since the fourth rail package was approved, back in 2016. However, Spain is resisting as much as possible to apply these changes. Now, the CNMC has notified again: it touches liberalization. Obligated. Yes, Spain is obliged to liberalize the vicinity service. In fact, I was obliged that, as afternoon, on December 25, 2023, all services were tendered through public tender. Last year, in 2024, contracts should have been awarded. At least, if the deadlines had been met since In 2016 the fourth rail package will be approved. Last year, in the last part of the year, The CNMC pointed out which had “launched a public consultation to gather information on public traveler transport services on rail (near and medium distance) and their next tender.” The previous deadlines could be extended as long as there is already a contract in force on the previous dates. In secret? That detail about the deadlines is important. According to ABCthe current Renfe contract extended from 2018 to 2027. Arrived 2026, at least 3% of the value of the contract related to the Cercanías service should be taken to public tender. However, they say in the newspaper that the Government and Renfe signed (without making it public) an adend to the current contract to delay this first step of liberalization to 2028. The intention is, therefore, to maintain the service of nearby in possession of Renfe. It calculates this means that the value of that 3% of the contract now exceeds 1,000 million euros. What dates are handled? If everything follows its course and there are no more news, the intention is that the liberalization of the service begins in 2028. First with a pilot test, they explain in The economistwhich would last until 2033. From then on, liberalization should be definitive. To carry out this addendum, it was assured that “it has not been possible to determine the public service obligations that will be bidding before January 1, 2026”. Therefore, this extension was signed in the contract that takes liberalization for a year beyond what was initially planned when it was expected that Cercanías would have been liberalized in 2032. Although the Government was already aware that in 2023 this fourth European rail package began to apply that is committed to liberalization, in 2018 signed the agreement with Renfe that maintains its monopoly until the next decade entry. It is not the first time. The delay in the liberalization of vicinity is not the only case in which the government moves in gray spaces for the liberalization of a rail service. Nor Óscar Puente, Minister of Transportation, has been in favor of this type of interventions. In the Madrid-Galicia line, for example, great results are being achieved for Renfe, to the point they have managed to do Go back the offering of airline tickets. However, the government knows that Renfe will keep the monopoly for a while in the corridor since the particularity of the road jump forces to produce very specific trains that Renfe has monopolized. Now companies like Ouigo have a huge waiting list if they want their own. And as we said, Bridge has been the first to criticize the system. He points out that as Renfe has the obligation to operate as a public service is at a disadvantage because Ouigo or Iryo, the two companies that have entered to work in Spain, can choose the most profitable runners but Renfe is obliged to serve in, for example, the Madrid-Extermadura line that is less profitable. Damage. The arrival of Ouigo and Iro to the Spanish railways has hurt Renfe, especially as far as prices are concerned. Yes it is true that Puente does not lack reason when it points out that, really, the three companies do not operate in exactly the same conditions but also should be remembered other data. The arrival of both companies has punctured the bubble of the High speed prices by train. Never before has it moved so much volume of passengers in this type of lines but we must bear in mind that, since the arrival of the French and Italian company, prices have fallen and have never been so cheap. Are there cases in Europe? Yes, Spain would not be the first country to liberalize its vicinity services although there are important nuances because the prominence of the companies that until they were not so long ago is very strong. In Germany, Berlin S-Bahn that operates 15 lines was awarded in 2021 through public tender … which took a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn (the German Renfe). However, The Saale-Thüringen-Südharz network (STS) It has 575 kilometers operated by Abellio Rail Mitteldeutschland GmbH, a private operator. In France, Renfe lost the tender in the Nantes-Burdeos and Nantes-Lyon who took SNCF (the French Renfe). In the Italian Piedmont, Renfe has managed partially. However, in the United Kingdom they have had a liberalized system for decades. Now, tired of the bad state of trains and the bad service offered The government is trying to reverse the situation and return to a monopoly to resume public service reins. Photo | Germán Poo-Caamaño and Jornal.cat In Xataka | With high speed in war, the French owner of Ouigo and Renfe are already preparing for the following battle: Cercanías

He vibrated so much that “the Water of the Váter came out.” Renfe has a problem in Catalonia and the AVE of Lleida is only the last example

by

A train in which it was impossible to travel with relative comfort. Let’s not say sleep or work. The videos in which an Avant is shown that vibrates extremely in the Lleida-Barcelona line are only the last example of a high speed that does not stop accumulating problems for Renfe. “The Water of the Váter came out”. This is what A user assured of the Avant Lleida-Barcelona train that circulated with extreme vibrations on August 19. Views the images that can be found on social networks, what Kevin Bruque, spokesman for users Avant Catalunya, is not very far -fetched RAC1. The violence with which the train moved while in motion has left us publications in which it is observed to backpacks moving violently and Water bottles that remain standing miracle. Many complaints. It is not the first time that Avant users between Lleida and Barcelona complain bitterly about the conditions of the journey. “People get dizzy” in an hour “that they could take advantage of to rest or work,” Bruque emphasizes. Extreme vibrations are only the last case of a line that accumulates complaints and demands of users. Already in March, Segre He collected the demands of the passengers who claim a greater number of frequencies and an early early option since the first train leaves at 7:05. They also emphasized the constant delays and breakdowns suffered by the line. Renfe’s response. Those days, Segre He collected that Renfe’s response to this request for an Avant that leaves before 7:05 points to Rodalies. The company defends that service is also provided with a regional train and that, therefore, the line is already covered. However, the platform ensures that the service is not comparable since with Rodalies it takes more than three hours to arrive in Barcelona from Lleida while in Avant and Ave they move on the border of the hour. This causes taking the first Rodalies train to arrive even later in Barcelona that with the first fast train of the day. Rodalies in the spotlight. Renfe’s performance in Catalonia is under the spotlight. In what we have been, Rodalies has not stopped adding breakdowns, suspensions and delays. To the point that the circulation has been suspended up to three times. In railroads.org They collect the incidents that are added daily in Rodalies. On August 18, six incidents were counted in the network. On August 19 another four and August 20 increased to 17 incidents of all kinds. When we write these lines on August 21, 33 incidents have been counted so far. But also high speed. In the first week of this August we met the end of a soap opera that had begun in July, that of the Avril trains. Renfe decided to withdraw these trains of its Madrid-Barcelona line when cracks are detected in them. A few days before, the information had jumped that some of these trains were literally breaking. Renfe threw balls out And he just said that had reorganized the line. Subsequently, Pópuli voice He showed the images where a crack was clearly seen on the train. Renfe had already decided to get these trains out of circulation although at first he opted for circular at a lower speed. An unforgettable summer for the user. And to forget by Renfe. The company has been in which it has faced a breakdown in the line to Andalusia that left users without air conditioning and in the middle of anywhere For 13 hours. Those same problems, with less serious consequences, They were subsequently repeated. Also in Andalusia the circulation had to be suspended momentarily by Goteras in a Malaga tunnel. Then came the aforementioned case of cracks in the Avril trains. And finally, fires have stopped circulation between Madrid and Galicia during a week in which Renfe has offered solutions With lights and shadows. Photo | Kabelleger / David Gubler In Xataka | “In 1961 it took Bilbao for three hours and five minutes. Now it takes three and ten”: Cantabria and the drama of Spain with the train

We have asked Renfe what alternatives we have to the cancellations of the AVE in Galicia. There are good and bad news

by

For sixth consecutive day, the high -speed circulation of the Galician corridor remains suspended. The service between Madrid and the Galician cities is provided only partially and in extraordinary frequencies. We have spoken with Renfe and consumer associations to know what their alternatives are. Sixth day without bird. Renfe cannot provide the high speed service of the Galician corridor as a whole. So The company itself confirmed it on its social networks but On its website Information about the latest news related to the railway situation between Madrid and Galicia is not found. No, at least, with a first glance. It is the result of the serious fires that are ravaging Zamora, León and Ourense, which They do not allow for sure to the high speed line. Given the impossibility of guaranteeing an improvement in them and, therefore, an opening of the line, Renfe confirmed almost at 11:00 am that all trains of today Tuesday, August 19, were suspended. Click on the image to go to the original tweet To (or from) Zamora. The solution that Renfe is giving is that passengers who prefer can travel from Madrid to Zamora or start their trip to the capital in the latter city, if it moves in the opposite direction. It is a patch that also requires adapting to Special schedules because the usual frequencies or schedules are not being fulfilled. Arriving in Galicia from Zamora or arriving in Zamora from the Galician community has already been in charge of the client. The latter is the one who has to look for life to take the train or reach its original destination. Something that, from Facua, they point out, should not happen. Buses? Jordi Castilla, Facua spokesman, explains that Renfe has the obligation to allow the change of ticket or its cancellation for free. Something that is already doing. However, it specifies that the company has to “relocate the person in an alternative environment without any cost.” From Xataka We have asked Renfe about this possibility and if they are valuing to include it in the next few days but we have not obtained an answer. Nor have those who In social networks they are asking Link Galicia with Zamora by bus since the main roads remains open. From Facua they emphasize that if the suspend and Renfe service does not offer this possibility, the client has the right to use a public transport means (such as a bus) and claim the money from the company. Not so a private transport, so the airplanes would be discarded. Cancellation expenses could also be claimed, such as a hotel night. What if I want to travel to or from Zamora? In Xataka We have contacted Renfe’s customer service. From Facua they point out that if we have a ticket with departure in Madrid to a Galician city and cover the journey to Zamora (or we start it in this city to Madrid) we have the right to receive part of the previously paid ticket. The same has been confirmed to us from the customer service of the railway company but, unlike the change of tickets or its cancellation, it cannot be done by telephone. In this case, you have to perform a online claim by filling out the form which is facilitated on the web or attending the office of the origin or destination station. Little in advance. Until now, Renfe has preferred to hurry until the last moment the cancellation of the trains. To the point that the confirmation that no train would circulate today in the high -speed line has not reached almost noon. That is causing many users to ask the company through social networks like Twitter what will happen to their tickets. The answer is repeated in that case: the client will be informed by social networks, mail and SMS. The telephone service and the website are being referred to change or cancel the tickets but in X only reference is being made to the confirmed cancellations and not to the trains that, it is not confirmed, if they will circulate in the next few days. What if I travel the weekend? In Xataka We have asked Renfe’s customer service if possible change or cancel a ticket for next Friday. They have confirmed that yes, there would be no problem even without the company having not yet confirmed the cancellation. From Facua they explain that in this, and in any other case, there is no minimum anticipation time with which Renfe or any other company must operate. “It remains in the good or bad faith of the company because if you know that it will be impossible to travel, you should inform you as soon as possible so you can look for alternatives and not have to adapt at the last minute.” Despite this, we can confirm that by telephone, these returns are being admitted even though there are still no confirmed cancellations beyond today, August 19. Photo | Ume and Nelso Silva In Xataka | Renfe has a new and gigantic project in progress: a night train to connect Europe from this to west

The megaindios of Ourense, Zamora and León have paralyzed the Galician bird. It is the nth setback in a horrible year for Renfe

by

The Madrid-Galicia bird had become an oasis for Renfe. The Spanish company, objective of all kinds of criticism during 2025 had seen how the Galician corridor was even bending the arm to the airlines. The fires are, now, the last unexpected twist that leaves a trail of cancellations, delays and travelers desperate to find an alternative route to the train. Fires. They are, without any doubt, the news that marks the rate of today in Spain. When we write these linesthere are more than 40 active fires in our country. Of these, two out of three foci They are located in Castilla y León. In addition, only in Ourense (Galicia) have burned more than 60,000 hectares. Lack of resources, forests that are lacking maintenance and one heat wave that seems to have no end They have been the perfect fuel to find ourselves in a situation that has been out of control. Click on the image to go to the original tweet Cut. With the provinces of Zamora, León and Ourense surrounded by the fire, the bird has stopped completely. This morning, Renfe confirmed in his X account that the circulation was interrupted “until the competent authorities allow resumption.” It is the fifth day that Renfe keeps the high -speed line between Madrid and Galicia suspended since Last Thursday, August 14, it would be suspended For the first time the rail service. The previous day, Wednesday, August 13the company already had to suspend some of the paths during the afternoon. Click on the image to go to the original publication From Madrid to Zamora. At the moment, the only solution that Renfe has given is to open a train that makes the journey between Madrid and Zamora. With an eye on the evolution of the fires, for the moment the only alternative they keep open is the one mentioned in the image superior. In the responses to the publication, Renfe confirms that There is no alternative plan For travelers who had tickets bought for any of the Galician cities. Bus alternatives have not been established, For example, and they don’t guarantee When can you return to normal. The nth problem. The interruption of traffic in the Galician corridor is the nth bad news for the company that is living a 2025 to forget. If we make a list of everything that has happened in the previous seven months that we have throughout the year we find the following: A flying line. The situation is even more complicated, taking into account that the Galician corridor was being the line that was best working at Renfe. As high speed has been settling, the data says There is a traveler transfer from the plane to the trainwhich is offered as a more flexible and interesting alternative if you want to spend less than 24-36 hours in Madrid. Besides, The particularities of the line and orders saturation to manufacturers have caused Renfe to have a dominant position on competitors. Although the line is liberalized and any company can operate, the truth is that companies such as Ouigo lack adequate rolling material and They do not expect to have it in the short term. What can the traveler do? At the moment, little if I planned to use the high speed line between Madrid and Galicia. As we have seen, Renfe is only partially offering, between Madrid and Zamora. Once there, there is no other than taking a car or a bus to continue the trip. Options for traveling tomorrow, August 19, between Santiago de Compostela and Madrid Shot prices. The other option, of course, is to fly from Madrid to one of the Galician airports. Of course, from one day to another, flying from Madrid to Vigo, to Coruña or Santiago de Compostela forces to invest more than 100 euros per ticket (there are only three options for less than that money and Vigo does not have them) and in some cases the prices per trip exceed 300 euros. But the trip is very complicated in the reverse sense. From one day to another, the cheapest option to travel between Vigo and Madrid forces to disburse 369 euros, from A Coruña you can travel from 272 euros and from Santiago de Compostela you have to disburse 379 euros. All data have been taken from the flight search engine Skyscanner. Photo | Hugh Llewelyn and Ume In Xataka | Each new data we know about the AVE in Spain points in the same direction: it is winning the game to Barajas

If Renfe believed that the summer of 2025 was being complicated is because he still did not know the worst: the fires

by

It is not being an easy summer for the bird. The campaign started with issues In one of its main arteries, the Madrid-Andalusia line, and has been challenging challenges such as The soap opera of the Avril trains, The suspension of services in several sections of the network by fire or A fault that a few days ago affected the Andalusian high speed line. Now, with a good part of the holiday country, add a new challenge that puts the tip: The paralysis of the Madrid-Galicia line. And all this with demand in record levels What happened? That fires have forced Renfe to suspend for hours its services between Madrid and Galicia. Yesterday afternoon the operator He already advanced The stoppage of the trains because the flames were close to the tracks between Vilavella and Galicia Porta and the final blockade It was confirmed hours later. The Initial idea It was resume the services today, but it could not be so. At 7.30 h the operators still They kept examining The ways to confirm that traffic will be recovered with guarantees. Shortly before ten Renfe published in X A message Informing the restoration of the service, but the decision lasted little. Hour and a half after He turned back: “For fire reactivation, the rail service between Madrid and Galicia is interrupted again.” Later Renfe went up A new tweet clarifying that he had been forced to interrupt the circulation between Puebla de Sanabria and Ourense by order of the Cecopi of Castilla y León (Civil Protection). “The traying trains will be separated in stations until the circulation is guaranteed,” he concluded. Click on the image to go to Tweet. Is it the only one affected? No. So far this fire has affected other sections in which Renfe operates. The flames have interfered in the service with greater or less reach in Castilla-La Mancha, Catalonia, Castilla y León either Estremaduraamong other points. In June A fire Between the stations of Valladolid-Campo Grande and Río Duero forced to suspend the high-speed service in the Madrid-Segovia-Valladolid and Madrid-Gijón lines and In July The flames forced to paralyze the line by which the bird that connects Madrid and Andalusia. Is it something exceptional? To a greater or lesser extent, Spain usually looks like forest fires in summer (more than more than 47,700 hectares) and It is not strange that in some cases the fire affects the rail network. In this case, the flames, especially those of Galicia, who have altered the corridor that communicates the community with Madrid for hours, they arrive, however, in a summer in which Renfe has had to deal with other challenges. The campaign began with A considerable chaos in one of the main arteries of the Spanish high speed Redee: the line between Madrid and Andalusia. A fault In a catenary between the Yeles (Toledo) and La Sagra, southwest of the Community of Madrid, affected the services that connected with the South and forced to suspend trains, generated delays and left a notable anger among the affected travelers. “We have been trapped in the middle of a plain, without electricity or bathrooms, with unbearable heat,” He denounced A user in X. Has anything else happened? That episode came shortly after, in May, the operator had to deal with Another chaotic episode in the AVE Madrid-Sevilla that left trains detained for hours and thousands of affected passengers. The reason on that occasion was not a fire, but the theft of copper cable on the tracks, which even led Renfe’s president to publicly lament how difficult it is to control the vast network of the country. “You cannot monitor 24 hours 15,000 km of network, but you will have to put more means,” assumed Álvaro Fernández de Heredia. With that backdrop, in recent weeks Renfe has faced Another controversyalthough of a quite different nature. A few days ago it transcended that Renfe has decided to do without the Avril trains (106 series) in his Madird-Barcelona line and replace them with convoys series 103. The decision comes after the operator detected technical problems in the machinery and forced him to make a ‘sudoku’ to relocate trains of series 103 and 102 to meet the demand. Is it all negative? No. Summer may be more moved than Renfe wanted, but has started with an important level of demand. A few days ago the operator launched A statement To show that Julio closed with his “best monthly historical record of travelers” in AVE and long distance. Throughout the month he counted about 3.5 million travelers, 4.6% more than in June, which held so far the “historical maximum”. The increase is based on high -speed services (AVE and AVLO), which saw how their place offer It increased by 13.9% and the flow of travelers 10.5% compared to 2024. The highest rise were registered between Madrid-Valencia and Zaragoza-Barcelona. Images | Ministry of Defense (X) and John Worth (Flickr) In Xataka | Fire have made a new high -risk activity today in Spain: living near the mountain

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.