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TRAIN

How to buy cheap train tickets in Spain 

2021 has marked the start of major changes to train travel in Spain, with two new low-cost operators for the first time in the country's history and Renfe overhauling its ticket categories. Here’s how to find the best prices.

Published: 15 October 2021 12:05 CEST
Updated: 16 October 2021 09:18 CEST
A woman buys train tickets on an automatic ticket machine of the Spanish state-owned rail company Renfe, at the Principe Pio train station in Madrid, on September 5, 2019. (Photo by GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP)
Renfe still operates the vast majority of train services in Spain. Photo: GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP

Get to know Spain’s new low-cost trains

Until recently, Spanish state rail operator Renfe operated a monopoly in Spain.

However, the arrival of French-owned low-cost Ouigo in Spain has shaken up things dramatically since May 2021, spurring Renfe to launch its own low-cost branch Avlo.

What does this liberalisation of the country’s railways mean for ticket prices? 

Well, Ouigo is selling tickets for its high-speed service between Madrid and Barcelona (620 km/385 miles apart) for just €9, stopping also in Zaragoza and Tarragona. More routes are planned for the end of 2021.

READ ALSO: What are the real ticket prices of Spain’s new low-cost Ouigo trains (and the extra costs)?

Avlo, which is so far only operating a Madrid-Barcelona service with other stops, is selling tickets for as little as €7. 

Not all tickets are going for that price, as our article above explains, but they’re still usually cheaper than most of Renfe’s high-speed Ave services.

Ouigo also plans to launch similar services between Madrid and the eastern cities of Valencia and Alicante on the Mediterranean coast by the end of 2021, and to the southern Andalusia region by 2022-23. Photo: PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU / AFP

Buy tickets as early as possible

With so few services from the new low-cost companies, Renfe still dominates Spain’s rail network, so you still have to rely on them for most train journeys.

In this case, buying your train tickets months in advance will make a difference to the price. 

For example, if you purchase it four months in advance, you could save up to 75 percent from the base fee under Renfe’s new ticket categories Básico, Elige and Premium.

However, some train users have complained about the fact that Renfe has cancelled the 25 percent discount passengers would get if they bought a return leg. 

The new commercial structure affects the Ave (high-speed) and Larga Distancia (long distance) trains, i.e. Intercity, Euromed and Alvia.

Know what you’re paying for with Renfe’s new tickets

Understanding what Renfe’s new ticket categories each offer will help you to avoid paying unnecessary costs.

A Basic ticket is the cheapest option and offers the possibility of carrying up to 3 pieces of luggage as well as access to free Wi-Fi. You have to pay extra to add changes and cancellation cover as well as to choose seats however. 

An Elige ticket (Pick and Mix as it’s been called in English) allows customers to choose between Standard or Comfort seating, as well as customise other elements of their ticket such as greater flexibility for changes and cancellations, changing ticket holder, the option of travelling with pets or seat next to yours vacant to have more space. The more perks you add, the more you pay.

And with the Premium ticket, the most expensive one, you have a comfort seat and food and drink brought to you. You can also make booking changes even when you have missed your train. You will also be entitled to change the ticket holder or to travel with your pet.

Make the most of Renfe’s new discounts 

If you fall into one of the following categories, you can get further discounts on your Renfe train tickets, even if you have the cheapest basic ticket.

Children now get a 40 percent discount on all Renfe tickets, whereas before this was only available on the more expensive flexible tickets

Young people aged between 14 and 25 can get 30 percent discounts on AVE and Larga Distancia (long distance high-speed) and 25 percent discounts on Avant (Mid-Distance High-Speed) and Media Distancia (Mid-Distance) and Cercanías/Rodalies (Suburban/Commuter) trains.

It does involve buying a Tarjeta +Renfe Joven card for €50. Check if there are more discounts you can get by applying for a youth card in your region. 

There’s also a 25 percent price drop for over 60s and people with disabilities with the Tarjeta Dorada (this Gold Card costs €6 to buy) valid for every day of the week.

Groups of 4 to 9 people get an 8 percent discount as well.

Renfe's new bright purple trains have been given the name Avlo – presumably to reflect that they are a low cost version of the more upmarket Ave trains. Photo: Renfe
Renfe’s new bright purple trains have been given the name Avlo – presumably to reflect that they are a low cost version of the more upmarket Ave trains. Photo: Renfe

Travel midweek

As Renfe has adapted its pricing model to the same demand-based system used by commercial airlines, it’s now more important than ever to travel by train at less busy times, avoiding rush hour and weekends.

This is when the biggest price drops of up to 75 percent will apply.

The new pricing system applies to both AVE and Avlo trains. 

READ ALSO: 

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EES PASSPORT CHECKS

EES border checks could undergo ‘soft launch’, UK says as app concerns mount

The UK government is preparing for a "soft launch" of the new EU border system – the Entry/Exit (EES) system - in October but authorities are still waiting for European Commission to confirm the start date, amid concerns over the delay of a new app.

Published: 4 May 2024 09:30 CEST
EES border checks could undergo 'soft launch', UK says as app concerns mount

The government is working on the assumption that the system will go live on October 6th, ministers told a hearing at the House of Commons European scrutiny committee this week.

But the European Commission is expected to confirm the exact launch date of the new biometric checks for non-EU travellers entering the Schengen area at some point this summer, they added.

“We are very much working on a basis whereby this policy will go live on the 6th of October. It is important that we plan for that eventuality. We are expecting to hear definitively from the European Union that ‘go live’ arrangement in the summer,” Tom Pursglove, UK Minister for Legal Migration and the Border told the committee.

The parliamentary committee is conducting an inquiry on the disruptions the system will cause in the UK.

Pursglove also said that “precautionary measures” have been agreed by the EU, that will be put in place in certain circumstances after the start of EES, for example if delays at the borders exceeded a certain length of time.

Guy Opperman, Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Transport, said that in practice this meant a “soft launch” of EES for 6 months before “a full go live”. During that soft launch EU member states and the UK could deploy flexibility measures should problems occur.

“The likelihood is, after multiple delays, that the 6th of October will proceed” and the implementation looks “very different” compared to previous scenarios considering the flexibility allowed in the first 6 months, he argued.

No details were given on what these “flexible” measures would involve however. 

READ ALSO: Your questions answered about Europe’s EES passport checks

He conceded that “a lot of work” still needs to be done but the UK “should be as ready as everybody” and “better be at front of the queue”.

App not ready

During the meeting, it also emerged that a much-anticipated app that would allow remote pre-registration of non-EU citizens subject to the checks will not be available for testing until August “at best”, prompting concerns about the EES launch date.

“You don’t need to be a sceptic about future projects to think that the provision of the app in August for going live in October is optimistic,” Opperman said.

Ministers confirmed that the app will not be ready in time for October and the committee previously stated it might be delayed until summer 2025.

The app will facilitate pre-registration, but photo and fingerprints will still have to be taken at the border in front of a guard, the committee heard.

READ ALSO: How do the EU’s new EES passport checks affect the 90-day rule?

Several MPs asked whether the entry into operation of the EES should be delayed again if technology is not ready. But Under-Secretary Opperman said the app “is not going to be a panacea to fix all problems”.

The main aim of EES is to increase security and to ensure that non-EU nationals visiting the Schengen area for a short-term do not stay more than 90 days in any 180-day period.

The entry into operation of the system has already been delayed several times and there have been calls from certain travel companies and national authorities to delay it again.

Under the new scheme, non-EU/EFTA travellers who do not need a visa will have to register their biometric data (finger prints and facial images) in a database that will also record each time they enter and exit the Schengen area.

Instead of having passports manually stamped, travellers will have to scan them at self-service kiosks before crossing the border. However, fingerprints and a photo will have to be registered in front of a guard at the first crossing and there are concerns the extra time needed will generate long queues, especially in Dover, Folkestone and St. Pancras station in London, where there are juxtaposed French and UK border checks.

Progress in preparations

Minister Pursglove also updated MPs on ongoing preparations. He said some testing of the system will take place within days, 5 kiosks have been installed at St. Pancras station and are available for testing. “You are beginning to see the physical infrastructure appear,” he said.

Kiosks and extra lanes are also being created at the port Dover and it was agreed with the EU passengers travelling by coach will be checked away from the Eastern dock, where controls usually take place, allowing to gain space. The vehicles will then sealed and drive on the ferries.

MPs also discussed the infrastructure cost linked to the introduction of the EES. Opperman said all EU countries will have to make “huge investments” in their ports. In the UK, he argued, this will help “address problems that have existed for some time”. Because of this “massive investment”, in a few years time “Dover will be totally transformed,” he said.

This article is published in cooperation with Europe Street News.

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