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TRAVEL NEWS

Error means new local trains won’t arrive in Cantabria and Asturias until 2026

The so-called 'Gálibogate' cock-up, in which €258 million worth of trains ordered for Cercanías services in Cantabria and Asturias wouldn't fit through the tunnels, means they won't be rolled out in the northern regions until 2026.

Published: 9 February 2023 17:28 CET
Error means new local trains won't arrive in Cantabria and Asturias until 2026
An error by train companies in Asturias and Cantabria means local trains won't arrive until 2026. Photo: Fototrenes / WikiCommons

Spain’s Ministry of Transport has said that €258 million worth of commuter trains ordered to bolster Cercanías and Media Distancia services in Cantabria and Asturias will not be rolled out until 2026, because they did not fit the dimensions of tunnels, meaning a delay of two years.

Understandably, there was indignation in both Cantabria and Asturias when the news of the cock-up emerged, with many in the Spanish press and social media suggesting that the regional transport authorities had wasted hundreds of millions of taxpayer’s money on trains that were too wide for tunnels in the region.

However, Xavier Flores, Spain’s General Secretary of Infrastructure, has denied this, insisting instead that they were too small. “It is not that they were designed too wide, they would never be designed if they did not fit inside the tunnel.”

Speaking to transport executives in Cantabria and Asturias on Wednesday February 8th, he did however concede that the delay is due to “a technical and complex discussion that could have been more diligent” in adapting the rolling stock to the correct metric width of tunnels in the regions.

Minister of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, Raquel Sánchez, said that “they will determine the appropriate responsibilities, one by one, until the final consequences” for this failure and that Renfe and Adif will be thoroughly assessed, during an inquiry to get to the bottom of the debacle and find out what happened and who exactly is to blame.

READ ALSO: Flights, trains and ferries: Spain’s new international travel routes in 2023

Spain’s state train operater Renfe has stated that the specifications of the 31 trains, which were awarded to the Gipuzkoan company CAF in 2020, used reference measurements of the gauges used on the network published by Adif, the Spanish state-owned railway infrastructure manager, but these were not applicable for the lines in Asturias and Cantabria.

The error was detected over two years ago, in January 2021, but only recently emerged publicly.

Facing public ridicule and with a public inquiry looming, Renfe and Adif have even begun blaming one another for the error. Adif says that the measurements Renfe specified in the contract included the wrong information. Renfe, for their part, argues the measurements in the contract given to CAF were those previously made by Adif.

“We do not measure the tunnels, we limit ourselves to collecting the measurements from the company that owns the infrastructure and include them in the specifications of the contract,” Renfe sources told Asturian newspaper La Nueva España. “The problem is that the ‘official’ measures of the tunnels do not correspond to reality,” they added.

But as is often the case with such public blunders, heads have already rolled. 

Adif announced on Monday that it had sacked the head of its Inspection and Track Technology, whereas Renfe has also removed someone from its Technical and Operations Directorate.

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TRAIN TRAVEL

The new compensation rules for train delays and cancellations with Spain’s Renfe

Renfe, Spain’s national rail company, has changed the way in which you can get compensation for delays, as well as the amount of refund you are entitled to.

Published: 14 June 2024 09:38 CEST
The new compensation rules for train delays and cancellations with Spain's Renfe

This changes will apply to Ave, Avlo, Alvia, Euromed and Intercity trains on journeys from July 1st.

This decision comes after a meeting of the company’s Board of Directors who wanted to introduce a similar commitment to punctuality as other competing companies such as Ouigo and Iryo.

But this is not necessarily good news, because now customers will only receive compensation when the delay times are greater and the amounts will be less. 

For example, up until now if an AVE train was delayed 30 minutes you would receive a 100 percent refund, now it’s only if the delay exceeds 90 minutes, a whole hour and a half delay.

What are the new refund amounts and how long do the delays have to be?

Here’s a full breakdown of the new amounts:

Until now, 50 percent was refunded for delays of more than 15 minutes and 100 percent if they were more than 30 minutes.

Now the refunds will be 50 percent for delays of more than 60 minutes and 100 percent for those that exceed 90 minutes.

This means for example that if your train is now delayed up to 45 minutes, you won’t receive any compensation from Renfe at all.

How will the new refund system work?

You will still be able to get your refund in cash or on your card, as always, but there are now other options too including greater refund amounts, depending on what you choose. These are:

  • A refund of 200 percent of the amount depending on the delay time via a new points system managed through the Más Renfe card ‘Renfecitos’. 
  • Compensation as a voucher to buy another ticket. In this case, the refund will be 150 percent of the amount for both delays of 60 minutes and those greater than 90 minutes.

If you choose the refund of the amount on your bank card, you can request it at renfe.com or at the station ticket offices and travel agencies.

If you choose the refund voucher, you can only get it online. In this case you have a maximum of three months from the date of travel to request compensation and a maximum of six months from when you have obtained the discount code to purchase the new ticket.

If you choose to be refunded with Renfe Points, you must also do this online. This option is only available for tickets purchased with a credit/debit card or cash. The points will be credited directly to your account and you have a maximum of three months from the date of travel to request compensation and a maximum of three years to use the points.

To claim delays on Avlo trains, you can do this through the automatic compensation system at www.avlorenfe.com or www.renfe.com. Compensation is paid through the same payment method as you used to purchase your ticket. You will have a maximum period of three months from the date of the trip to request it.

For compensation for delays on integrated tickets, you can apply for compensation at points of sale and customer service at the stations.

In 2023 Renfe paid out €42 million to its customers in compensation for delays. An amount that could have risen to almost €70 million if all affected users had requested compensation.

With this change, Renfe seeks to reduce the amount.

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