Starting next Monday, May 1, Cercanías, Rodalies and Media Distancia users who want to travel for free on Renfe trains will have to use a new season ticket. The current free passes can only be used until Sunday, April 30, so it is necessary to purchase a new transport ticket to travel free from May 1, a day that is also a public holiday throughout Spain.
The discount for travel by train is part of a plan that the Government applies from September 1, 2022 and will be in force until the end of 2023. The measure aims to alleviate the economic situation of consumers as a result of price inflation . At the same time, the Executive intends to stimulate the use of public transport and especially the train as it is the most sustainable option from an environmental point of view.
The new passes will be valid for travel from Monday, May 1, and until August 31, 2023. Since April 1, they have been available to users and as of Tuesday, 143,000 new free passes (79,000 of Cercanías and 64,000 Media Distancia) for the second four-month period, according to Renfe.
Renfe makes different channels available to users to obtain the new free transport ticket. The operator of the largest train network in Spain recommends purchasing Cercanías and Rodalies passes through the Cercanías Renfe app in order to expedite processing and avoid unnecessary waiting. They can also be purchased at stations and vending machines.
With regard to Media Distancia passes, Renfe recommends managing them through its website, www.renfe.com, as well as at the other usual points of purchase, that is, station ticket offices and vending machines.
To purchase the pass you must register in advance at renfe.com or in the Renfe and Renfe Cercanías Apps. The season ticket is free, but to acquire it it is necessary to previously deposit a deposit of 10 euros in the case of Cercanías and Rodalies, and 20 euros for each conventional Media Distancia service. This deposit is recovered once it is verified that the condition of having made 16 displacements during these four months has been met.
To expedite the return of the deposit, Renfe recommends making the payment with a credit or debit card, since the user will receive the refund automatically in their account without having to worry about it.
Passes that are issued at ticket offices and in vending machines are made of cardboard. The latter accept electronic payment and issue the transport ticket in ISO format with a QR code. Only the passes obtained through the Cercanías app are in digital format: the ticket is downloaded to the mobile phone that must be used to control station access.
Yes, in the case of long-distance travel, the Government offers a 50% discount to make trips more affordable for regular travelers. The Avant trains, high-speed that cover medium-distance routes, have a 50% discount on the ticket price for frequent travelers who buy multi-trip passes such as the Plus Card, Plus 10 Card or Plus 10-45 Card.
In High Speed services, such as the AVE, a 50% discount is also offered for services that last less than 100 minutes for regular users.
Specifically, high-speed passes are applied on the following routes: Madrid-Palencia; Madrid-Zamora; Leon-Valladolid; Leon-Palencia; Burgos-Madrid; Burgos-Valladolid; Ourense-Zamora; Palencia-Valladolid; Huesca-Zaragoza; Leon-Segovia; Segovia-Zamora; Palencia-Segovia and Medina del Campo-Zamora.
