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TRAIN TRAVEL

Spain to offer free train trips: when, where and how?

Train passengers in Spain will soon be able to travel on some 'trenes' for free, the Spanish government has announced. Become a member to find out which trains will be free, when, the smallprint to look out for and how you can take advantage of this offer.

Published: 2 August 2022 14:13 CEST
Updated: 2 August 2022 17:27 CEST
free train tickets spain
The free ticket offer doesn't apply to all trains in Spain. Photo: Vane Monte/Pixabay

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced recently that multi-journey tickets for some trains operated by the state owned train network, RENFE, will be free.

Announced on July 12th during the first day of the ‘State of the Nation’ debate, the headline grabbing 100 percent discount followed news that the government had originally committed to a 50 percent reduction. 

A 30 percent discount will also be applied to the cost of passes and multi-trip tickets for regional and local transport services, including city metro, bus and tram systems, bought between September 1st and December 31st 2022.

READ MORE: How much can you save on public transport in Spain with the new state discount?

The scheme will cost public coffers a reported €200 million, according to government spokesperson Isabel Rodríguez, and comes amid a series of measures put in place by the government to try and ease the pain of rising inflation and prices, but also to lower pressures on fuel following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and ensuing energy crisis. 

“The government will subsidise 100 percent of the public service of commuter trains operated by Renfe. We hope that the autonomous communities can complement this enormous effort made by the Spanish government,” Sánchez said.

But which trains will be free, when, and how can you take advantage of them?

When?

This eye-catching travel discount will be available from September 1st to December 31st 2022, during which multi-journey train tickets on the trains outlined below will be free.

Which trains are free?

Unfortunately, the Spanish government has not given everyone in Spain free train travel on every route and on every type of train.

There are rules.

Simply put, local and commuter trains will be free. Cercanías, Rodalies (Catalonia), and Media Distance (local and medium-distance journeys) will be 100 percent free of charge.

The policy is aimed at encouraging the use of trains as opposed to other fossil fuel intensive forms of transport, and it’s valid for journeys up to 300km.

That in mind, trips on long-distance or high-speed trains, such as AVE and Alvia, are not included in the plan.

Neither will the routes in Avlo, the low-cost AVE option established in 2021, nor the medium and high-speed Avants.

Avlo and Avants will instead have a 50 percent discount on the original price, as outlined by the government in June.

How can I take advantage of this offer?

For the 100 percent discount on Cercanías, Rodalies de Cataluña and Media Distancia, monthly and multi-journey tickets will be eligible for the discount.

The multi-trip ticket for Cercanías or Rodalíes will be valid for unlimited trips between any origin and destination, and free for travellers who make 16 or more trips (four per month) between September and January, offered to travellers who purchase monthly passes.

You can find a breakdown by RENFE on the regional differences and passes here.

For Media Distance services, the pass will be free for those users who make 16 or more journeys, or travellers that purchase any of the following monthly passes:

For more information in English about each of these Media Distancia (medium distance) passes, click on the one you’re interested in learning about. 

SPAIN-FREE-TRAINS

So far, the Spanish government have announced the discounts but not exactly how to get them. Photo: GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP

Types of journey

Importantly, it is worth noting that one-way and round-trip tickets are also excluded from this initiative, and will therefore not be free.

The free travel is designed for frequent travellers, and includes weekly and monthly subscription passes, the full cost of which will be covered.

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Deposits

As with anything in life, always read the small print – as it’s rare that something is totally free. Fortunately, The Local has done that for you, and it turns out that you won’t simply be able to waltz up to your local train station and take a free train anywhere from September 2022.

In order to take advantage of the 100 percent discounts, you must first put down a small deposit.

  • For Cercanías and Rodalíes services, this will be €10.
  • For medium distance services, it will be €20.
  • The idea of the deposit is that they ensure travellers make a minimum of four trips per month and it’s a way of avoiding scams.
  • The deposits will be returned to travellers after four months, when the scheme ends at the end of December.

Which routes?

Because Cercanías or Rodalíes cover shorter, local routes, the passes will be valid for unlimited trips (with a minimum of 16 over the four months) between any origin and destination.

As for medium-distance, high-speed trains (on routes that do not exceed 100 minutes, 1 hour and 40 minutes), the government has said it will pay the price of 50 percent of monthly passes.

The lines benefiting from this are Madrid-Palencia, Madrid-Zamora, León-Valladolid, Burgos-Madrid, León-Palencia, Burgos-Valladolid, Ourense-Zamora, Palencia-Valladolid, Huesca-Zaragoza, León-Segovia, Segovia-Zamora, and Palencia-Segovia.

How do I get the discount?

As of now, the government have announced the discounts but not exactly how to get them. 

It seems fairly certain that a deposit will be required to take advantage of the offer, but it is unclear how exactly the government will apply the discounts, and whether they will be applied to the monthly travel passes or if there will be some kind application process – whether online or at the station – in order to get the discount.

Like many things in Spain, it is expected the way in which the discount is applied and how to apply for it will be left up to the regional governments.

Stay tuned to The Local Spain to keep up to date with this offer, and to receive information on taking advantage of it as soon as the government releases more information.

Spanish trains explained

Here’s a quick breakdown of the different types of train services in Spain.

Cercanías: Local trains that link major cities with their metropolitan area. Cercanías operates in Alicante, Barcelona, Bilbao, Cádiz, Madrid, Málaga, Oviedo Santander, San Sebastián, Sevilla, Valencia and Zaragoza. 

Rodalies: The same as Cercanías, but in Catalonia.

Media distancia: Regional trains that link different cities, towns, and villages within a single autonomous community. 

Regional: Similar to media distancia but usually with more stops, and are often, as a result, slower but also cheaper. 

Ave: Spain’s high-velocity, cross country service. 

 

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For members

BREXIT

What Brits need to know before crossing the border from Gibraltar to Spain

After the recent news that Spain has been tightening its border with Gibraltar and refusing entry to a number of UK nationals, here's a reminder of what they need when entering Spain from Gibraltar.

Published: 22 November 2023 12:55 CET
What Brits need to know before crossing the border from Gibraltar to Spain

Around 35 people, the majority of them UK nationals, were denied entry into Spain on November 14th when attempting to enter from Gibraltar, according to the Gibraltarian Government. A week later, there are reports of long delays for vehicles crossing the border.

Spanish authorities have stated that most were asked their reasons for travelling and denied entry because they couldn’t provide certain proof or documentation for their entry into Spain, such as hotel bookings or onward flights.

It’s not the first time that Spanish officials increase security at The Rock, as every few months there are reports of holdups and increased checks at the Spain-Gibraltar border. It isn’t always clear if it’s due to an erroneous interpretation of the rules by border officials or if it’s rather down to diplomatic pressure that Spain wants to exert on the UK and Gibraltar. 

Therefore, if you’re a UK national – whether you’re a tourist, Spanish resident or Gibraltar resident – and you’re planning on travelling between Gibraltar and Spain soon, here’s what you need to make sure you don’t encounter problems at the border.

Since January 1st 2021, UK nationals, like any third-country national, have had to comply with the entry requirements set out in the Schengen Borders Code, including the need to justify the purpose of travel and conditions of their planned stay, as well as have sufficient means of supporting themselves for their stay and their return.

Their stay also cannot of course stay over 90 days in any 180 days. 

READ MORE:

The British Government website states that: “Spanish border checks can cause delays when crossing between Spain and Gibraltar”, so it’s important to leave plenty of time to be able to cross.  

Passport

British people entering Spain from Gibraltar must identify themselves with a valid passport issued less than 10 years before the date they enter Spain, and valid for at least three months after the date that they plan on leaving Spain.

READ MORE: What are the reasons for being denied entry into Spain?

Additional documentation

If you enter Spain as a tourist, you may need to provide additional documents at the border, although you will not always be asked for them.

You may be asked to show:

– A valid return or onward ticket

– You have enough money for your stay

– Proof of accommodation for your stay, which could be a hotel booking confirmation, proof of address if visiting your own property or invitation or proof of address if staying with a third party, friends or family.

You may need a carta de invitación filled out by the person you’re staying with too. 

READ ALSO – ‘Carta de invitación’: Why you may need to pay to have British friends and family stay with you

Residents in Spain

According to the British Government, if you are a UK national who is a resident in Spain “your passport should not be stamped when entering or leaving Spain”.

In addition to showing your passport at the border, you should provide proof of residence here, such as your TIE card (la tarjeta de identidad de extranjero).

In reality, it’s very possible that your passport will be stamped, even if you show your TIE. The are countless reports of British passport holders who are residents in Spain trying to explain to border officials that they shouldn’t be getting a stamp, but their interpretation of the rules is different and they have the final say. 

In 2021, The Local Spain was contacted by a UK national who was denied entry to Spain from Gibraltar over a missing passport stamp from a previous visit, meaning she couldn’t prove she hadn’t overstayed in the Schengen Area, highlighting the issue of passport stamps for Brits travelling to the Schengen Area post-Brexit.

READ MORE:

Gibraltar residents

Residents in Gibraltar are typically issued with various different coloured Gibraltar Civilian Registration cards.

Magenta cards are issued to British nationals, blue cards are given to EU nationals, and green cards are issued to non-EU nationals, while red ID cards are issued to Gibraltarian citizens.

Most of the people who were stopped and asked for proof of stay in Spain and denied entry were holders of the magenta ID cards.

The Borders and Coastguard Agency of Gibraltar stated: “The BCA are not aware of any British national who presented their passport and a Gibraltar red ID card, to have been asked to provide reasons for travel”.

The Gibraltar Government has stated that the existing status quo has not changed and that holders of Gibraltar red ID cards will not have to stamp their passports when crossing the border to travel within Spain, a transitional measure while negotiations between the European Commission and the UK continue.

Negotiations on a deal outlining Gibraltar’s future relationship with the EU have been ongoing for four years, and it remains to be seen if Gibraltar – a British overseas territory that voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU by 96 percent – will have some kind of special arrangement to maintain frictionless access to the Schengen area.

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