Public transport in Spain is good value for money, easy to use and efficient. In major cities like Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia you can choose between buses, trams, metro and urban trains. When travelling between cities, you have the choice of long-distance buses or trains.
The Spanish national train company is called RENFE, which stands for Red Nacional de Ferrocarriles Españoles (English: Spanish National Railway Network) and runs trains of different types and classes on an extensive network that radiates out from the major cities.
The flagships of the RENFE fleet are the AVE high-speed trains which can travel at speeds in excess of 300km/h. Once you factor in airport transfer and check-in times, the AVE is often just as fast as flying.
Other long-distance trains are also available, including ALVIA, INTERCITY and TALGO. For shorter distances, regional and middle-distance trains travel more slowly and stop at smaller towns and cities.
Finally, urban and commuter trains have multiple stations within larger cities and connect to surrounding towns.
I’ve used the Spanish train system extensively and have found the trains to be reliable and good value for money. Even the commuter trains, which can be very crowded at peak times, generally run on time and are rarely delayed by more than a few minutes.
In fact, RENFE are so confident that they will get you to your destination on time that they will compensate you if your train is delayed. The quantity refunded varies depending on the type of train and the length of the delay.
In this post, we take a look at how much compensation you are entitled to if your train is delayed in Spain and how to claim a refund.
How much compensation are you entitled to if your train is delayed?
The amount of compensation you can claim when your train is delayed in Spain varies depending on the type of train you are travelling on and how long you are delayed.
Not all delays are eligible for compensation but generally speaking, as long as the delay was deemed to be the fault of RENFE, and you file your claim correctly, you will receive either a full or partial refund or a replacement ticket.
For example, if the delay is caused by a problem with RENFE’s trains or infrastructure, then you are entitled to a refund. On the other hand, if the delay is caused by bad weather or a natural disaster, then RENFE may decide not to give you a refund. Full terms and conditions here.
AVE high-speed trains
| Length of delay | Compensation |
| More than 15 minutes | 50% |
| More than 30 minutes | 100% |
AVLO low-cost high-speed trains
| Length of delay | Compensation |
| More than 60 minutes | 50% |
| More than 90 minutes | 100% |
ALVIA, AV CITY & EUROMED
| Length of delay | Compensation |
| More than 30 minutes | 50% |
| More than 60 minutes | 100% |
INTERCITY, TALGO & TRENHOTEL
| Length of delay | Compensation |
| More than 60 minutes | 50% |
| More than 120 minutes | 100% |
AVANT
| Length of delay | Compensation |
| More than 15 minutes | 50% |
| More than 30 minutes | 100% |
Media Distancia
| Length of delay | Compensation |
| More than 15 minutes | 25% |
| More than 30 minutes | 50% |
| More than 60 minutes | 100% |
Regional Exprés and Regional
| Length of delay | Compensation |
| More than 30 minutes | 25% |
| More than 45 minutes | 50% |
| More than 60 minutes | 100% |
Rodalies de Catalunya
| Length of delay | Compensation |
| More than 15 minutes | Replacement ticket |
How to get a refund for RENFE tickets when your train arrives late
If your train is delayed, you can claim compensation from 24 hours after arrival and up to three months after the date of travel.
AVE, long-distance & middle-distance trains
You can choose to receive your refund in one of the following ways:
- Refund of the amount shown above using the same payment method
- Refund of the amount shown above +20% as a discount code which can be used to purchase another ticket. Valid for six months.
- RENFE loyalty program members can receive the amount shown plus 30% as points. Valid for three years.
If you purchased your train ticket online at the RENFE website or want to receive a discount code or loyalty points, you can claim the refund using this form.
If you purchased your ticket at a train station and want to have money reimbursed, you should claim your refund at the station. In this case, if you bought the ticket in cash, then you will get a cash refund. If you purchased the ticket using a credit or debit card, then RENFE will reimburse the money to the card.
If you purchased your ticket from a travel agent or ticketing website, you should claim your refund from them.
AVLO low-cost high-speed trains
Refunds for delayed AVLO trains are only made in the form of vouchers which may be used to purchase AVLO tickets.
You can claim the vouchers online here.
Regional & Regional Exprés
Tickets for Regional and Regional Exprés trains aren’t available online and may only be purchased at the station, either from the ticket office or from ticket vending machines.
As such, the refund may only be claimed at the station using the same payment method as was used for the original purchase (cash or card).
As above, you can claim compensation from 24 hours after the train was due to arrive up until three months after the date of travel.
Rodalies de Catalunya
In Catalonia, RENFE’s regional and commuter train services are operated under the name of Rodalies de Catalunya (Rodalies for short), who offer their own express refund service called Devolució Xpress.
If a Rodalies train arrives more than fifteen minutes late, you are entitled to a replacement ticket for the same route, valid for the subsequent thirty days.
In most cases, you must claim the Xpress Refund ticket immediately upon arriving at your destination before leaving the station. If the station is uncrewed, then you have twenty-four hours to claim the refund ticket online here.
Terms and conditions apply. You can find out more here.
Hi Richard,
I have just filled the claim form on renfe.com, but the option to receive an actual refund is greyed out. It only allows renfe points or a discount code which won’t help me since I’m no longer in Spain. It says “Si desea recibir la indemnización en metálico acuda a taquilla.” at the bottom, but we did pay online by credit card. Could this be because we booked via trainline? Unfortunately, trainline only refers me to the renfe website for claims. Do you know a workaround? Thank you in advance!
Hi Philipp,
I’ve noticed that if you visit the English language version of the Trainline site, it tells you to contact RENFE, whereas in the Spanish version it says that you should contact Trainline who will request the refund from RENFE on your behalf!
If I were you, I’d try contacting Trainline via the contact form from the Spanish version of the site (link).
hello! can i check if you were successful in claiming for the refund? I am facing the same problem as you. If you managed to get a refund, please let me know how you were able to do it, thank you!
Hi Lexie,
I don’t think that Philipp is likely to respond here. As mentioned above, if you purchased your tickets via Trainline, I think you should contact them and ask them to handle the refund for you. If Trainline can’t do it directly, they should be able to tell you how to procede.
I have been trying to get a refund of the train delay refund ( Girona -BCN-SANTS at 21:16 on 15 June 22) through your website many many times but still unsuccessful. Would appreciate your kind help.
Hi Xiaoling,
Unfortunately, I don’t work for the train companies so you can’t get a refund through my website but I will do my best to help.
What kind of train were you travelling in?
If it was an AVE, AVANT or Media Distancia train and you purchased them online then you can apply for a refund here
If it was a regional train, then you have to go to the train station and claim the refund in person.