Spanish Renfe Media-Distancia services

[northwichcat]

Can someone help with information on the Algeciras-Ronda-Granada MD service. The information scattered across the net is full of contradictions.

Firstly, are seat reservations available, recommended or compulsory?

Secondly, there's some mention of buying tickets for specific trains and other mentions of ticket validation before boarding. Surly these can't both be correct as why would need to validate a ticket for a specific service?

Also if anyone has used Algeciras or Ronda stations are they well laid out and easy to navigate?

 

[Gordon]

Firstly, are seat reservations available, recommended or compulsory?
Secondly, there's some mention of buying tickets for specific trains and other mentions of ticket validation before boarding. Surly these can't both be correct as why would need to validate a ticket for a specific service?

Spain has always been a bit of a sticky country for 'walk on' train travel. It is something that has frustrated Inter Railers since Inter Rail first started in the 1960s (or was it 70s?)

Even way back into the dim and distant past 'train validation' was in place on Renfe, such that you had to queue up for non-reservation-obligatory trains to get 'authorisation' to board. In theory if you risked this at an intermediate station you could be told not to board as the train was already full with other 'non reserved but validated' passnegers.

Renfe made it even more irritating as you never knew when the validation window/queue would open so you could not relax or eat a meal for example for fear of 'missing the boat'. I remember (certainly not fondly) waiting to pick up a night train at Medina del Campo and having to hang around in the ticket office just in case. What was even more annoying was that once aboard with my validation, most people had in practice 'blocked up' their compartments with family/kids/baggage etc so I stood up all night in the coach washroom (not the loo thankfully as the stock had a separate washbasin only compartment)

 

[First class]

My FIP coupons were a nightmare to use in Spain last year- nearly every train I used needed a reservation at cost of a few euros.

Since that I've chosen better countries to visit by rail which are hotter

Liverpool-Athens via Bari - all on FIP rate/coupons

Recently Greece decided to cut themselves from the International Rail network when they started terminating the Bucharest-Athens train at Sofia. Effectively isolated itself so you can't do Liverpool-Athens 100% by rail, but BlueStar is just as nice, probably better.

 

[route101]

My FIP coupons were a nightmare to use in Spain last year- nearly every train I used needed a reservation at cost of a few euros.

Since that I've chosen better countries to visit by rail which are hotter

Liverpool-Athens via Bari - all on FIP rate/coupons

Recently Greece decided to cut themselves from the International Rail network when they started terminating the Bucharest-Athens train at Sofia. Effectively isolated itself so you can't do Liverpool-Athens 100% by rail, but BlueStar is just as nice, probably better.

Yeah East is way better , Spains network and stock are v good but nowhere like the East .

 

[northwichcat]

Can someone help with information on the Algeciras-Ronda-Granada MD service. The information scattered across the net is full of contradictions.

Firstly, are seat reservations available, recommended or compulsory?

Secondly, there's some mention of buying tickets for specific trains and other mentions of ticket validation before boarding. Surly these can't both be correct as why would need to validate a ticket for a specific service?

I think I've worked this out.

You have to specify which service you'll travel on. However, if you buy a return ticket you don't have to specify which service you will return on at the time of purchase. However, if you don't you have to 'validate' your ticket for your return journey before you travel.

 

[185]

Greetings from Barcelona!

Have to say that if you know a little Spanish, it goes a long way here.

The price you can pay with FIP ranges immensely for no apparent reason so I think to be fair, it's just like the UK - the politer you are when you ask for the ticket, the less you will pay. I think I was charged a under a tenner from Madrid Atocha to Barcelona Sants on Friday
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Reading this, I think if I remember right, the Gibraltar minibus stopped just yards from the front of Algesiras station, by the miniroundabout and the station ticket office sold me tickets on the spot, I don't even remember there being reservations on that train.

I remember being late because the runway for Gib airport had an emergency landing which shut the main road for ages.