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Cross Pyrenees travel?
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Peterthegreat
Established Member
There is.
Ax-les-Thermes to La Tour de Carol by SNCF and forward by RENFE to Barcelona.
Panceltic
Member
Annoyingly the website returns an error if you switch language to English, but you should be able to copy and paste into Google Translate.
As usual, it being Spain, good quality information is hard to come by. The present engineering block, for station improvements and track doubling not far out of Barcelona, started in October 2025 and (as ever) no end date has been provided to the public. The whole line from La Tour de Carol/Puigcerdà is replaced by buses, presumably due to the difficulty of running trains on an isolated section of line.
My suspicion is that the line will not be open for you in August 2026. A PTG railtour in Catalonia was originally planned to go to Puigcerdà in October 2025, but when re-dated to January 2026 couldn't go there due to this engineering block. After postponement again for a variety of reasons, we (the intended participants) have been advised that Puigcerdà will still not be available in the re-redated plan for October 2026.
It's annoying on several counts as I did the line in the late 1980s and want to do it again. I could have travelled over it earlier in 2025 but didn't when the railtour was planned to do it. Best laid plans and all that....
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
As an aside, in case you don't know, it can be quite hard to make an Interrail work well for you in Spain. This is due to pretty much every train, except the suburban services in the bigger cities, being mandatory reservation; and only reservations for high speed / long distance services can be bought "remotely" on e.g. the RailEurope web site. Medium distance service reservations can only be bought at booking offices (though it used to be the case that you could do this in Germany, not sure whether that's still valid). Also, the open access iryo and Ouigo high speed services, plus RENFE's low cost Avlo, are not valid with Interrail anyway.
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dutchflyer
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Plus most of those non-RES lines are the ´Cercanias, or ´rodalies´ in catalan and these mostly have gates to pass by, if a bit unlucky on both entry and exit, and these do not accept the QR codes etc that Inter/EU/Rail -and in fact most INTernational ticketing-uses nowadays since a few years.Though there are some isolated reports they are now either busy changing it or at least intend to-it may vary with what area it is. These lines were also never in the general timetabling sites etc.
In fact that Puigcerda line was mostly a long extension of such a local Rodalies line.
Another thing in this catalan area is the recent accident in it which led to long time suspension of many services and strikes etc.
In case youre really married with trains-this is/was the only line between those at both coasts to link FRance to ESpana.
In case youre a bit more open minded and also want to add ´yet another country´- visit Andorra for a day-it has good express bus (coach for real Brits) links to BCN. Just a few hours ago by sheer coincidence I read it is in the top3 of countries with highest average age for death.
Isolated reports about DB in its ever fewer offices (and then I guess ONLY those run by DB itself) in the german counterpart DSO always stated ´IF you are so lucky to hit someone who knows about it and has experience´. IF that country is not on your way, then I would simply say: ¨forget it´
In fact that Puigcerda line was mostly a long extension of such a local Rodalies line.
Another thing in this catalan area is the recent accident in it which led to long time suspension of many services and strikes etc.
In case youre really married with trains-this is/was the only line between those at both coasts to link FRance to ESpana.
In case youre a bit more open minded and also want to add ´yet another country´- visit Andorra for a day-it has good express bus (coach for real Brits) links to BCN. Just a few hours ago by sheer coincidence I read it is in the top3 of countries with highest average age for death.
Isolated reports about DB in its ever fewer offices (and then I guess ONLY those run by DB itself) in the german counterpart DSO always stated ´IF you are so lucky to hit someone who knows about it and has experience´. IF that country is not on your way, then I would simply say: ¨forget it´
The journey to the suburbs of Barcelona currently ("to the end of May") involves a 4-hour bus trip with a change at Vic (even longer going back) 
https://rodalies.gencat.cat/ca/detalls/article/06_12_PAT_R3-00001
The route via Canfranc to Zaragoza would be a much shorter bus segment (route 550) but the Spanish train service is about 2tpd
https://transports.nouvelle-aquitaine.fr/
https://rodalies.gencat.cat/ca/detalls/article/06_12_PAT_R3-00001
The route via Canfranc to Zaragoza would be a much shorter bus segment (route 550) but the Spanish train service is about 2tpd
https://transports.nouvelle-aquitaine.fr/
In general the Rodalies de Catalunya website you linked to has missing, or very out-of-date, English language pages. Much better to use the Catalan /ca or Castillian Spanish /es pages, and a translator tool.
HS2isgood
Member
From Ax to Barcelona you have to change twice
Ax les Thermes > Latour de Carol: SNCF LiO TER, electric unit.
Latour de Carol > La Garriga, Renfe Rodalies R3, electric unit.
La Garriga > Barcelona Fabra i Puig > Renfe Rodalies rail replacement bus.
The blockage will only end in May 2027.
Ax les Thermes > Latour de Carol: SNCF LiO TER, electric unit.
Latour de Carol > La Garriga, Renfe Rodalies R3, electric unit.
La Garriga > Barcelona Fabra i Puig > Renfe Rodalies rail replacement bus.
The blockage will only end in May 2027.
Just for info, Iryo is available on interrail since October 2025: https://www.interrail.eu/en/plan-your-trip/tips-and-tricks/trains-europe/high-speed-trains/iryo
Thank you for the update; it's worth knowing.
I don't know what the roads are like, but the railway on the Spanish side is somewhat scenic, with a 360 degree loop.
I understand that the French side (which also has a 360 degree loop) is also impressive but can't speak from experience as I did that bit on a sleeper train and it was dark.
I understand that the French side (which also has a 360 degree loop) is also impressive but can't speak from experience as I did that bit on a sleeper train and it was dark.
The Rodalies site I linked to said buses throughout
Thanks
Where can these actually be booked, please?
ricohallo
Member
Will the Iryo offices at major Spanish railway stations sell them too?
Mainline421
Member
Yes, in theory at least should be a good way to avoid the extra €2 charged by Eurail
Last I heard was that they couldn't.
WessexEclectic
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The route via Canfranc to Zaragoza would be a much shorter bus segment (route 550) but the Spanish train service is about 2tpd
https://transports.nouvelle-aquitaine.fr/
It's worth staying overnight in Canfranc (if just to visit the old international station) and catching an onward service the next day.
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