travelers

In a chaotic 2025 of cancellations and delays, Renfe does have good news: record number of travelers

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Renfe has had one of its most chaotic years in 2025. The company has had to face more competition than ever, it has suffered delays due to its own trains and infrastructure, it has seen Talgo trains crack or how fires blocked its most profitable line. And, despite everything, he has achieved a new record. 37.3 million. They are the people who have traveled on AVE and long-distance Renfe trains. And in 2025 the company has managed to move more people than ever on these trains. The figure is 6% higher than that achieved a year ago when it added 35.2 million trips. According to data provided by the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, the bulk of these trips are made up of the AVE, which has set a new record with 21.5 million trips. That’s a million more travelers than last year. Although AVLO is the company that has had the best performance, growing from 4.55 million in 2024 to 6.2 million travelers in 2025. Where? According to Transport, the corridor that continues to receive the most passengers is the Madrid-Barcelona route ending in Figueres. In total, Renfe has attracted 8.1 million passengers to this corridor. The figure is almost identical to last year’s. The Levante and Mediterranean corridor (which connects Madrid with the Valencian Community and Murcia) is where the impact on passenger growth has been felt most. Here, trips have increased from 5.5 million to 7.7 million. Andalusia has also experienced growth from 6.9 million travelers to 7.2 million. Although the corridor that has added the most passengers is the Madrid-Castilla y León-Galicia one. Adding its routes and the connection with Asturias has gone from 2.5 million travelers in 2024 to 4.6 million. Doubts. What Renfe leaves up in the air is how much passenger volume has been lost on other lines. In his statement It is not explained, for example, how many passengers there are in the Extremadura corridor. And if the data is well transmitted, there are lines that have had to lose the number of passengers. The text mentions, as we said, an increase of 2.1 million passengers in the sum of high-speed and long-distance lines. However, there is talk of increases of 2.2 million passengers in the Mediterranean corridor, 2.1 million in the northwest area and 300,000 more passengers in Andalusia, without mentioning the inevitable drops in passengers on other lines. A chaotic year. Although it is the year in which it has moved the most passengers, 2025 has been a chaotic year for Renfe, marked by the following milestones: And some good things. In addition to increasing the number of travelers, 2025 has also had some good things for Renfe. To begin with, it has been confirmation that the train can fight the plane as long as high-speed trains work with guarantee. And the fact is that Madrid-Galicia has made the airlines retreat. The company, Renfe points out, continues to be the most used in all corridors (although it is not specified that it is the one that works the most frequencies) and its travelers will be able to benefit from the new flat rate ticket of 60 euros to take all medium and long distance trains and that is pending the addition, potentially, of municipal or regional public transport. Furthermore, and although this is not so good for Renfe but for the user, travelers we should be able to receive refunds partial or total delays of more than 15 minutes this year. Photo | Xataka In Xataka | Renfe is obliged to compensate for delays of more than 15 minutes starting January 1. The Government wants to prevent it

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

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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

Train liberalization in Spain has been a success for travelers. The problem is that companies are losing a money

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Railway liberalization has reached cruise speed with spectacular results for passengers … but demolving for operators accounts. Why is it important. The train price war is changing the transport map in Spain. Users earn with more low options and prices, but companies are bleeding money in a battle that has also begun to question the sustainability of the current model. In figures: Almost 40 million travelers They used high speed in 2024. That is 77% more than in 2019, before pandemic. Prices They have fallen up to 42% On some routes. Passenger income is 35% below the levels prior to liberalization. The context. Ouigo has become the undisputed EY of low prices. In the first quarter it was the Most economical operator in four of the five liberalized runners: Madrid-Barcelona (18.59 euros). Madrid-Sevilla (29.09 euros). Madrid-Málaga (26.89 euros). Madrid-Aliante (20.80 euros). Only in Madrid-Valencia surpassed him Avlo, and it was for just 25 cents. This aggressive strategy It is giving results. The French subsidiary has managed to capture 36% of the market in Madrid-Aliante, 25% in Madrid-Valencia and 15% in Madrid-Barcelona. Yes, but. Profitability is another issue. The sources do not indicate the concrete losses of each operator in 2024, but The data They indicate that the average income remains far from the levels that Renfe achieved alone. The operators have increased only 6% the average income in Madrid-Barcelona, to the 8 cents per traveler and kilometer, a figure that remains 35% lower than the era of the monopoly. Deepen. Beyond numbers, liberalization is changing mobility habits. The train has won the battle to the plane bluntly: In Madrid-Barcelona, the rail share went from 65%to 81.5%, while other routes exceed 80-90%. And now the financial sustainability of the sector is at stake. If current margins do not allow long -term profitability, something will have to give in: either prices, or some operators will end up withdrawing from the market. In Xataka | Renfe trusted the Avril trains to face the Low Cost of Ouigo and Iro. They do not stop giving problems Outstanding image | Dani guitar

We thought that interstellar travelers were impossible to find current technology. Three have already been discovered

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Less than a decade ago, the idea of ​​detecting an object of another solar system through our neighborhood was science fiction material. Astronomers were clear that they existed, but believed that our chances of detecting them They were practically null due to the limitations of current technology. In 2017, everything changed. First appeared 1i/ʻoumuamua. An object that baffled astronomers. Not only because it was the first interstellar object discovered in our solar system, but because its nature was and remains a mystery. With A strange formas elongated as a cigar or flat as an album, and a size of just 100 or 200 meters, it happened fleetingly leaving more questions than answers. Was it a comet, an asteroid or something completely new? The debate continues while moving away from us. Then 2i/Borisov was discovered. When we still wondered if we would see something similar in our lives, the answer came alone. In 2019, astronomers They detected a second object of another star system That was unequivocally a kite, somewhat larger than its predecessor (about 400-500 meters) and with a very different trajectory. Borisov confirmed that ‘Oumuamua had not been an anomaly. Interstellar visitors were real and we are able to find them. And to confirm it, 3I/Atlas arrives. On July 1, 2025, the Telescopes of the Atlas Network in Chile detected the third known interstellar object. After confirming your hyperbolic trajectory, He was officially baptized as 3i/Atlas. It is a real giant compared to the previous two, and marks a before and after in the study of these bodies. Like Borisov, it shows a clear comment activity, with a comma and a tail that lengthens as it approaches the sun. Therefore, it is a kite. But it is much bigger. Although the measurements are refining, initial estimates place their diameter between 5 and 20 kilometers. A colossal size that makes it much easier to study. A giant who will pass through Mars. 3i/Atlas is incredibly fast. It moves at an exhaust speed of about 58-60 km/s with respect to the Sun. much faster than ‘oumuamua (26 km/s) and Borisov (32 km/s). His career is also unique. It will reach its closest point to the Sun (its perihelium) on October 29, passing between the orbits of Mars and the Earth. Although at that time our planet will be on the other side of the sun, which will prevent its direct observation, it will be only 31.4 million kilometers from Mars on October 3. This opens a fascinating opportunity: that some of the probes that orbit the red planet, such as the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, can capture images of the interstellar traveler. Three important findings. Each of these objects is a time capsule from another solar system. All planets, asteroids and comets of our system share a common origin, but these visitors are authentic outsiders. They contain clues about the formation and composition of worlds that orbit other stars. Studying them is like receiving a geological sample from a corner of the galaxy that would take millennia to visit. Until now, we could only observe his fleeting step. But this is about to change. ESA is already preparing THE MISSION INTERPECTORwhose launch is scheduled for 2029. The idea is ingenious: the probe will not have a predefined objective, but will “park” at a point in Lagrange (L2) waiting for a pristine kite of a long period or, with some lucky, a new interstellar visitor to be within its reach. It would be the first rapid response mission to intercept one of these mysterious objects. In less than ten years we have not known if they existed to actively plan how to send a ship to touch them. With new generation observatories such as Vera Rubin, which is expected to find dozens of them in the next decade, we are entering a new era of astronomy. The universe sometimes brings us its secrets at home. Image | The interstellar comet 3i/Atlas (ESA) In Xataka | There is a single opportunity in 11,000 years of reaching the planet Sedna. Some Italians want to use this nuclear engine

Private jets and premium travelers contaminate a lot, so Spain already plans what to do with them: charge them much more

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If you travel in Premium mode, it will have to pay (even more) premium prices. That is the idea that several countries shuffle, including Spain, which have discussed a unique possibility: to impose special rates both to private aircraft and jets and passengers traveling in the premium classes. New taxation for the air sector. As indicated In Reutersthe debate has occurred during the UN conference On development financing held these days in Seville. There has been where Spain and other countries have discussed the impact of the air sector on the environment and how to try to mitigate the problem. And the solution they have found is clear: special rates for them. A disparate group. Countries that are inclined to this option form a singular group. They are Spain, France, Kenya, Benín, Sierra Leone, Somaia, Barbados, and Antigua and Barbuda. All of them advocate the introduction of “a specific rate to executive class bills and private airplanes.” Pedro Sánchez, president of Spain, also added that “the specific rate for this type of flights” is intended to address pollution and climate change. Private jets and premium passengers, under examination. The proposal is based on the experience collected by the road map of the COP28 (Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) and the COP29. The objective for COP30 is “a better contribution from the aviation sector to fair transitions and resilience, with special attention to premium passengers.” Premium travelers coalition. The French executive has published A statement explained that today the aviation sector contributes to 2.5% of CO2 emissions, and remains one of the industries that grow the most in this type of emissions. In the G20 the average price of the kerosene in 2021 was 9 euros/ton, compared to the 79 euros of the diesel and 68 euros of gasoline. Private jets, horror. But the problem is aggravated for private jets and “premium travelers”: 1% of luxury aircraft passengers pollute more than 50% of commercial aviation. Emissions generated by private jets have increased significantly: 46% From 2019 to 2023. What does the European Commission say. According to that statement, the European Commission “will continue to provide technical support to this initiative.” France has been fighting this problem for some time, and that three years ago I cricked that “two -speed effort“. Its rulers criticized that while they were required to neighboring countries that were Press the energy belta wealthy minority I took private jets for routes that could be covered with less comfortable alternatives, but also less burdensome and pollutants. Taxes to fight climate change. The Global Solidarity Levies Task Force (GSLT) is an association led by France that also supports this initiative that is part of the so -called Pact for Prosperity, People and the Planet (4p). In the statement The GSLT includes statements by Emmanuel Macron and Pedro Sánchez. For this body this type of tax can raise “vital taxes for the weather.” Tax. From Greenpeace Remember That “flying is the most elite and polluting way to travel, so this is an important step to ensure that the great consumers of this little taxed sector pay the part that corresponds to them.” It would thus be taxed by those industries that most contaminate, and private flights are of course a problem in that area. Other countries could join. The coalition indicated that it should work to “improve the mobilization of internal income of developing countries.” Member countries will work so that other countries join this initiative so that “air bills are applied, including high -end, and to tax private planes based on best practices, at the same time guaranteeing ascending harmonization and greater progressivity in countries that already have such levies.” In Xataka | Your own private jet for 111 euros: the company that has devised the “blablacar” of luxury flights

500 people already live at the airport between travelers and coexistence problems

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From 11 at night, security personnel begin to verify documents and to evict those who do not have valid shipments (…) The airport design is simple but there are few private corners or remote spaces. If you need to go to bed on the floor, it brings an extra layer because the floor is mostly cold and hard tile You can read the description in Sleeping in the Airportsa web space where all tips and small tricks or recommendations to take into account are offered if what you want is to sleep in an airport. The description above speaks of Adolfo Suárez-Madrid Barajas airport. It is just one of many. In it you can read details that make a difference if you need to spend the night at the airport. And the aid is so useful if you have passed security control or not. “The McDonald’s seats are padded” But also that “readers inform us that there are sources next to the bathrooms” or that “in the T4, next to the VIP room of Iberia, there is a small more private corner.” This web space is a reference but it is not the only one you will find on the Internet. Reddit is full of threads in which advice is requested to spend the best way in these spaces. In Quora It is also easy to find them. Here, a user explains his bad experience at the Shanghai airport for not being informed that he was committing a foul. In recent years, there are more those who sleep at airports. Well because their flight leaves too early or, on the contrary, they have arrived late enough to not be able to use public transport to the city and expect the dawn of the next day. Or, simply, because they have nowhere to go and the airport offers them a safe and hot place. Where to sleep if you have nowhere to sleep The latter is what has been happening at the Madrid airport. ASAE union (union alternative AENA ENAIRE) calculates that, every day, about 500 people sleep distributed by the four airport terminals. A number that has multiplied in a decade. They estimate that then there were no more than 40 people who took refuge in this space. The union denounces that workers are afraid to go to their jobs. They explain to The country that there are homeless people who sleep every night because they have no other place to go but those who drug themselves in the bathrooms or those who steal from tourists are also common. “Aena is all facade, an apparent good image, but in reality is contributing to this lack of control. Before it was a problem, now it is a problem. We need to press the Government to modify current legislation, ”explains one of the workers to the newspaper. The Madrid case is not unique in Spain. Last year the Generalitat, Aena and the municipalities of El Prat and Barcelona gathered to find a solution to the same problem. There, it is estimated that every night a hundred homeless sleeps. “It is a serious social problem, and it is inadmissible for no one to take over,” he said then a National Police agent to the medium. Two years before, the problem had stayed in a forgotten corner. In The avant -garde They collected in 2022 that Several people lived in one of the abandoned parking lots after the last reform of the airport despite being within its facilities. Although in Spain we have put the focus on homeless people, outside our borders, airports are also common where more people sleep or, at least, try. There are no conclusive data that meet the problem but it is easy to find the articles in which the theme is addressed from different angles. From positions that speak of their own experience, such as this article of The Washington Post to Tips for facing long delays that leave us alone before the night without a place to sleep. Of the man who was 14 years living in a Chinese airport at Unipersonal Cabinas that are distributed by their facilities to put a head or sleeping spaces more than $ 100 a night at Dubai airport. Aware of the problems they can represent, the airport managers themselves have been putting obstacles to prevent people from sleeping in their facilities. From a greater police presence to seat benches with armrests Each or two seats that prevent a person from lying in them. The other side of the currency is represented by airports where facilities are put to the rest of the passengers, with sun loungers even in common spaces. If you go to sleep at a European airport, you know that Sleeping in Airports I recommend doing it in Helsinki’s. Photo | Ray Sangga Kusuma In Xataka | The great challenge of the successor of the Concorde will be to dominate the sonic patterning: there are those who believe that we are close to getting it

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