Right now the trains are not being reliable. You know that you will have to be patient and put up with whatever there is," is the opinion of Marina and Céline, whose company booked them a plane from Madrid yesterday to arrive on time for the meeting they had scheduled at 9:00 a.m. in Barcelona. "There was nothing by train that would arrive with enough time in advance. And since there is always a lot of delay, we didn't want to risk it," explained Marina. "It seems like a setback. Not so long ago it was the most reliable method of transportation," Céline noted about the train. They shared with this medium their experience at 3:30 p.m.; and although they had not received delay notifications, their train that was scheduled to leave at 4:00 p.m. still did not appear on the station screens.
On October 5, Vueling increased its flight frequency on the air bridge between Madrid and Barcelona. The yellow airline already clarified in August that it was adapting its offer again, after doing so between February and March "to reinforce the transport options available and cover the needs of citizens" at a time when protests by train drivers in services were intensifying and network incidents were multiplying. On the same dates, Iberia limited the price of its flights between Madrid and Barcelona to a maximum of 99 euros in economy class due to the high level of infrastructure problems and train cancellations.
In summer, Vueling confirmed that its measures would be permanent to respond "to the need to continue strengthening mobility alternatives between both cities with an increase in demand, especially among customers traveling for professional reasons." The truth is that distrust in train punctuality is not forgiving in cases where it is not optional. And the latest events, such as the fire of a locomotive in Riclas (Zaragoza) that leaves the line operational but with speed limitations on the affected single track section, have ended up perpetuating the delays in train journeys between both capitals. They have noticed it at Ávoris Corporación Empresarial, specialized in corporate travel: there are changes in demand and "people looking for alternatives to the train; or that they delay, advance or even cancel them" in the world of corporate travel since the fire last Monday. But when it comes to putting figures, Ávoris does not estimate that the effects will go beyond 10-15% of the reservations. "A small impact" on tourist activity that they hope will be resolved in the next week - when Adif plans to completely reopen the Zaragoza roads -, and the usual traffic will be reabsorbed. They do not expect the situation to be repeated. situation after the high-speed accident in Adamuz, which had a "sideral" impact on travel scheduling. So far it translates into an annual drop of about 1.22 million travelers (-10%) in the second quarter of 2026 only on high speed, according to the latest data from the National Securities Market Commission (CNMC).
"I know when I leave my house but not when I'm going to return," reflected Carlos, who is a vehicle driver and frequently travels on the railways throughout the Peninsula. "I'm not calling Renfe, I'm calling it Ten Fe," he grumbled, sitting on the benches in front of the Sants Station ticket offices. Yesterday he was scheduled to leave at 8:15 a.m. for Valencia. His train was not affected by the cuts in Zaragoza. But last week he was affected by storms in Catalonia, which delayed his journey between Granollers (Barcelona) and Girona for about four hours (the usual time is 30 minutes), "waiting for alternatives" to Rodalies. "I accept it, they can't be avoided, but people come in already burned out every day," he pointed out. Days before, he had to sleep in Zaragoza because his Vitoria-Barcelona AVE train was delayed: "I lose many hours of my life thanks to Renfe," he concluded.
As Iryo explained this week, Adif had asked Renfe, Iryo and Ouigo to reorganize circulation in the affected section until October 22. The manager tells this medium his objective is to restore normal service at the beginning of next week, "if all the work progresses as planned." Among the forecasts, those of Mónica, self-employed and with important appointments in Madrid: she chose her train to leave at 8:25 a.m. so as not to have problems with her 2:00 p.m. meeting in the capital. And he celebrated upon arrival that there had only been a 15-minute delay.
There are those who also value flights in these situations, but the prices discourage them from doing so. Like Marco: "the one way alone costs a fortune." Even before the accident on October 12, he considered this alternative to the train due to the importance of his meetings, and ruled it out due to the costs: around 200 euros. On the night before his trip, Renfe informed him that he was affected by the incidents: his 8:25 a.m. train was delayed half an hour. But equally, he acknowledged that he would not have opted for alternatives: "it is more expensive to go to Italy than to Madrid" and "the car is very far away." Coral, one of the Iryo travelers last Tuesday (on the same day she traveled from Madrid to Barcelona and back for work reasons), states that on the first morning after the Zaragoza fire she consulted the option of flights by plane and the price was around 800 euros. He gave up.
In the same hallway as Marco, María was heading towards the security checkpoints. Renfe had notified him the night before of changes to his AVE for a trip to a conference that started in Toledo at 1:00 p.m. His train - scheduled for 9:00 a.m. - was already 45 minutes late: "Let's see what happens," he said.
At 8:15 a.m. yesterday, the Skycanner platform showed the following comparisons for the day: a flight from Barcelona to Madrid, in its "best option", ranged from 456 euros (two hours and 48 minutes of travel). The "cheapest", 343 euros, in exchange for a stopover and a total of five hours and 48 minutes. And the "fastest" one - which left the flight in two hours and 45 minutes - cost 485 euros.
The fire in Zaragoza on October 12, when the bridge was closed for the national holiday, caused the immediate interruption of traffic on the section: it affected a total of 33 trains, 18 of which could not leave their station of origin and 14 were detained in stations. In users: 12,979 Renfe passengers and 4,450 Iryo passengers were affected. In the following days, circulation has been enabled with restrictions, while the complex work to remove the burned locomotive continues, prior to the processes to repair the damaged infrastructure.
"It is what it is and you have to resign yourself," said Joaquín, who came to Barcelona for work reasons. It arrived last Wednesday on a train that initially left at 6:57 a.m. but finally left Atocha station at 7:57 a.m. They sent him an email informing him that he would be joining another train. And yesterday he had bad luck again: a delay notified by email informed him that his departure, originally at 4:25 p.m., would be delayed until 5:25 p.m. He had not looked at alternatives because his position allows him some flexibility. Not like his boss, who lives in Barcelona and had to arrive in Madrid first thing in the morning, and that is why he was forced to fly. "The only thing is to see what time I get home, there is work tomorrow, and getting home late... it does annoy me," said Joaquín. He arrived in Madrid 70 minutes later than the original time.
Since the accident, in the section near Riclas only traffic is allowed on one road and until Wednesday, the maximum speed was limited to 80 kilometers per hour. Yesterday it was raised to 160 kilometers for now and although this change improves circulation, it does not eradicate delays, which are being communicated by all operators via SMS or email. Alex waited calmly for his departure because he had no notice of his train with Renfe. I was also traveling to Zaragoza, so I hoped that the trip would not last much longer than the usual hour and 30 minutes. "The thing about Rodalies is criminal," he added while having a coffee at the station: yesterday he took the Catalan Cercanías line - in a 15-minute journey - up to an hour and a half before the departure of his AVE, for fear of missing the latter.
