The derailment of a train without passengers last Saturday in Madrid, specifically in the tunnel that connects the Chamartín and Atocha stations, caused the cancellation of, at least, 19 trains whose origin or destination was Madrid, Comunidad, Valencia or Murcia.
Renfe, Spain’s main passenger and freight rail transport company, committed on Sunday, through a message on the social network Therefore, the operator guarantees the refund of the amount of the tickets.
Renfe guarantees the refund of the amount of the tickets. In this account we will keep the affected services updated. Sorry for the inconvenience. 2/2
— InfoRenfe (@Inforenfe) October 20, 2024
From Facua-Consumers in Action they recalled this Sunday that those affected by the delays and cancellations this weekend have the right to the compensation established by the European regulations and the companies’ codes of conduct.
They have indicated that both Renfe and the private operators that circulate on the Adif network (Iryo and Ouigo) have the obligation to comply, among other rules, with Regulation (EU) 2021/782 of the European Parliament and of the Council, of April 29 of 2021, on the rights and obligations of railway passengers, according to the Efe agency.
Thus, European regulations indicate that, if the delay is more than 60 minutes, the railway company must offer free meals and snacks, to an extent appropriate to the waiting time.
In the event that the consumer requires a stay of one or more nights, the railway company must also provide accommodation in a hotel or other location and transportation between the railway station and the place of accommodation.
On the other hand, Facua has indicated that operators with train routes that have been affected by cancellations or delays of at least 60 minutes – whether at departure or arrival at the destination – are obliged to offer all consumers the following options: refund of the full amount of the ticket, continuation of the journey under comparable conditions of transport and as soon as possible, or continuation of the journey or driving by an alternative route, under comparable conditions of transport, at a later convenient date. to the traveler.
In addition to these compensations, users also have the right to claim other damages that they may have suffered as a result of the cancellation or delay of the train, which must be assessed in each case.
Facua has recalled that Renfe includes its own commitment to punctuality, which sometimes exceeds that established by European regulations, and establishes its own compensation.
In the case of Ouigo and Iryo, the consumer organization points out that they must commit to, at least, the compensation established by the European Regulation.
Renfe and Avlo
This Monday, train transport returns to normal, according to Adif. Renfe maintains the commitment to punctuality that it established in the 90s, although over the years and the appearance of new lines and competitors, it has become more lax, to the point of reaching the same level as the rest of the operators.
Traffic has been restored on a road between Madrid Chamartín and Jardín Botánico, on the high-speed route that connects Chamartín and Puerta de Atocha.
Train circulation on the Madrid-Levante high-speed line returns to normal.
— INFOAdif (@InfoAdif) October 21, 2024
On AVE, Avlo, Alvia, Euromed and Intercity trains, for a delay of more than 60 minutes, 50% of the ticket is refunded, which becomes 100% if the delay exceeds 90 minutes. The operator offers better conditions if instead of money you choose to accept points, which as of July are called Renfecitos, to use in future purchases. Those who prefer this option will receive 200% of the amount to which they are entitled depending on the delay through the Más Renfe loyalty card.
Travelers affected by a Renfe and Avlo delay must wait 24 hours from the arrival of the train to be able to file a claim that will allow them to obtain compensation. If you purchased the ticket on the companies’ website, you can do so in the same place, although the compensation section is not very visible. And immediately the money is refunded to the card account with which they paid. If you bought the ticket at the station ticket offices or at a travel agency, those are the places where you have to go to request a refund. The maximum period to request compensation is three months from the date of the trip.
Compensation for delays cost Renfe 42 million in 2023 although, if all travelers who were entitled to it had requested it, the amount would have even reached 60-70 million euros, as the company informed Efe.
Ouigo
The subsidiary of the French SNCF, which was the first to fight Renfe on Spanish railways, ensures that its clients do not have to carry out any procedure to request compensation. It is the company itself that is responsible for notifying the incident by email and refunding the corresponding amount in the following hours. Although, they acknowledge, there may be some occasions when the process fails. In these cases, customers must fill out a contact form on your website, which is also not very visible if you are not logged in. Those affected can follow the status of compensation in the private area on the operator’s online site.
The low-cost company’s policy is to offer a voucher for 50% of the ticket price for future purchases if the delay is 30 to 59 minutes. If the delay exceeds one hour, half of what they paid is returned to the client and they will have 100% of the amount if they arrive at their destination 90 minutes after the set time.
