Season & Special Tickets

Many season tickets ( abonos) and special discount ( descuento) tickets are available in Spain. These include discounts for students and youths (16 to 25), senior citizens, disabled passengers, commuters and groups. Most special tickets can be changed or cancelled. Information is obtainable from information and ticket offices at any station.

Senior citizens over 60 and disabled passengers are eligible for a ‘gold card’ ( tarjeta dorada), offering discounts of 40 per cent on all trains except AVE and Talgo 200 long-distance trains, where the discount is 40 per cent from Monday to Thursday (inclusive) and 25 per cent on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

There are various commuter tickets, including monthly season tickets ( bonos mensuales) offering discounts of up to 40 per cent. For further information enquire at any RENFE ticket office. Season tickets are also available on long-distance trains such as the Talgo 200 between Malaga and Madrid.

A student card ( carnet joven) is available from local municipal youth departments for students aged between 12 and 26 and provides a 25 per cent discount on RENFE regional trains, but no discount on AVE or Talgo trains. A passport or residence permit ( residencia) and a passport-sized photograph are required. Students can also benefit from the Tarjeta Studio which is valid for one term and allows unlimited travel on local train networks in Asturias, Barcelona, Cadiz, Malaga, Murcia, Seville and Valencia. Prices depend on the area.

On AVE and Talgo 200 trains there’s a 40 per cent discount for children aged from 4 to 13. On other trains the discount is for children aged from 4 to 11. Children under four travel free on all trains.

Groups of 10 to 25 people receive a 15 per cent discount on AVE and Talgo 200 trains (for groups above 25, contact RENFE).

Holders of a Eurailpass, Eurodomino or Inter-rail pass may travel on AVE and Talgo 200 trains, but a supplement is usually payable. Student discounts of up to 40 per cent are available from offices of Wasteels (European travel agents that specialise in train tickets).

Timetables

If you use trains regularly, you should obtain route maps ( mapas de carreteras) and timetables ( horarios) on arrival in Spain. However, bear in mind that most times are approximate only, and with the exception of timetables for fast (e.g. AVE) and international trains, they shouldn’t be relied upon, although local trains are generally punctual. At major stations, arrivals ( llegadas) and departures ( salidas) are shown on large electronic boards. It’s wise to double-check departure times and not rely on announcements. You also shouldn’t trust the list of trains posted at a station, but confirm trains and times at a ticket or information office. When you buy a train ticket with a reserved seat, the train number and departure time are printed on it.

Train timetables ( horarios de trenes) are published in national, regional and local versions, and also for individual routes and train types (e.g. long-distance). All timetables are available online and RENFE publish a range of special guides and information, plus an ‘Atlas of Spanish Railways’ ( Atlas de Ferrocarriles Españoles) containing a selection of maps of Spain. Train timetables are printed for most major domestic and international rail routes, often in the form of a handy pocket card.

Note that many services operate daily ( diario) or only on working days ( laborables), which may include Saturdays, and a limited service is operated on Sundays and holidays ( domingos y festivos).

Date: 2016-01-14; view: 676