Your experiences on Renfe

[Clansman]

Just returned from Catalonia, where we caught the train all the way from Scotland to Barcelona (we burnt our banks for first class!) and the journey in particular from Paris to Barcelona aboard the TGV Duplex was spectacular - worth the five year wait from the last time I travelled aboard them to Monaco.

However at Barcelona Sants, when the time came to catch a local Renfe service to Salou, the whole experience changed. Check in desks, non definitive platform number advertisements, pointless reservation only electric loco haul "fast" trains which run about 40mph maximum, with carriages which, although modern looking on the outside, had an airline esque interior which was extremely uncomfortable and cramped - a world away from British rolling stock - which really is saying something! The slower services however were far better quality inside provided a better experience than their supposed supperiors when it came to comfort and hassle. Whether the experience is any different aboard the AVE, I've no idea, but my first impressions of Renfe's regional services really is one of unessesery hassle, low comfort and poor value for money.

I'm intrigued to find out if anyone else has experienced Renfe / Talgo before, and what you made of the experience.

 

[telstarbox]

Recently took the "Intercity" train from Zaragoza Delicias to Barcelona Sants. AFAIK this isn't the highest speed service (AVE) but it felt similar to an Intercity 125. We went for Turista Plus which has very spacious 2+1 seating and a buffet counter, as it was only a few euros more than standard class. Overall a very comfortable and pleasant journey.

In general the passenger information on Renfe and Cercanias/Rodalies services is very good as well, often presented in three languages (Regional language, Spanish and English).

 

[ooo]

Cerencias seem to have the worst seats I've ever travelled on a train. They seem to be plastic with just a very thin layer of fabric stretched over them.

 

[nlogax]

Was pretty happy with the Renfe Avant service (class 104 I think) from Malaga to Cordoba. Plenty of legroom, lots of space, very quiet and comfortable seats. Would do longer distances in those with no complaints.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Reservation-only seems to be the rule on Renfe these days, even on slowish regional MD services.
On AV services you have to check-in your luggage for a scan, too.
Generally I've found rolling stock very comfortable, though there are still some ancient boneshakers around.
There's a very wide variety of train type and you don't really know what will turn up on the day.
Their Tarjeta Dorada (Senior Railcard, 60+) is excellent value at €6 for 40% off walk-on fares (€10 if bought at the Renfe office in the UK).

Rail transport could get quite complicated if Catalonia secedes from Spain suddenly.
Catalonia runs its own local/regional rail services but the infrastructure, main line and cross-border services are Spanish national assets.

 

[coupwotcoup]

Just returned from Catalonia, where we caught the train all the way from Scotland to Barcelona (we burnt our banks for first class!) and the journey in particular from Paris to Barcelona aboard the TGV Duplex was spectacular - worth the five year wait from the last time I travelled aboard them to Monaco.

However at Barcelona Sants, when the time came to catch a local Renfe service to Salou, the whole experience changed. Check in desks, non definitive platform number advertisements, pointless reservation only electric loco haul "fast" trains which run about 40mph maximum, with carriages which, although modern looking on the outside, had an airline esque interior which was extremely uncomfortable and cramped - a world away from British rolling stock - which really is saying something! The slower services however were far better quality inside provided a better experience than their supposed supperiors when it came to comfort and hassle. Whether the experience is any different aboard the AVE, I've no idea, but my first impressions of Renfe's regional services really is one of unessesery hassle, low comfort and poor value for money.

I'm intrigued to find out if anyone else has experienced Renfe / Talgo before, and what you made of the experience.

I used to love the old Talgo trains back in the day. Usually changed at Montpellier and caught one to
Girona. In the days when smoking was still allowed, the bar almost invariably turned into a party area
and met some good folk on my times aboard.

Some of the Cercania services can be basic as you say - no reservations needed on MD from Barca to Port Bou -
but made a short trip from Blanes to Malgrat when I was out there last month and they appear to have new and
improved stock on the line from Barca that terminates at Blanes.

From past experience Sants can be a mare for finding out as to where your train departs and by the sounds of things
nothing has improved.

Like yourself I normally get the Duplex from Paris-Girona and versa and because of the timings, have yet to
experience the AVE on the same route.

 

[duesselmartin]

The Media Distancia trains in Andalucia seemed reasonable enough. Reminds me comfortwise of BR Sprinters. Considering what Renfe was like 30 years ago, its another world.
Mind you, I find the security checks ineffective and annoying.
Martin

 

[coupwotcoup]

This was the first time I had encountered them [security checks] at Girona.

Just put your bags through the x-ray machine but no passport checks - at
least I remembered mine this year!

 

[Clansman]

Was pretty happy with the Renfe Avant service (class 104 I think) from Malaga to Cordoba. Plenty of legroom, lots of space, very quiet and comfortable seats. Would do longer distances in those with no complaints.

Looks very pleasant I must say. Here's what I was subject to on the Catelonian Fife Circle...

 

[eddp]

By the look of it you caught a long distance rather than regional service - in Catalonia at least, the regional services are unreserved and you don't have to go through the security check. On that (East Coast/Mediterranean Corridor) route, the highest quality long distance trains (in my opinion) are the Euromed, followed by the Alaris and then the Talgo.

The Talgos used to be much better cared for but building the high speed network (at the moment the lines between Leon and Galicia, and the Mediterranean Corridor between Tarragona and Castellon/Castellon and Valencia and Alicante and Murcia) is sucking almost all the money out of the Long Distance business unit at the moment so the "classic" services are suffering for it.

Cercanías seats are very hard but you kind of get used to them on the local services - until a Cercanías set turns up for a 3h30 journey!

 

[nlogax]

Looks very pleasant I must say. Here's what I was subject to on the Catelonian Fife Circle...

Is that a...CRT telly?

 

[Clansman]

Is that a...CRT telly?

Indeed. It shows a map of each journey in real time.

Also got another minor complaint about Renfe - their pre onboard announcement jingle is comically annoying!

 

[aar0]

I've used the AVE twice, although a bit pricey, its a very enjoyable, properly fast, service. Ample legroom in standard at 6'6" - and the bar car is excellent.

 

[ooo]

The automated announcements at stations seem to be put together quite badly especially the English ones which have a rather annoying American accent for most of it and then hard to understand Spanish for the station names. I've noticed that the announcements in English don't always finish what they are saying as well which isn't ideal

 

[coupwotcoup]

At least AVE bother...TGVs on the Paris - Barça run are invariably French/Spanish only.
The former I have schoolboy knowledge of the latter much better but invariably I get
thrown during mid-conversation.

 

[jopsuk]

There would be endless threads on here if announcements on the GB rail network were repeated in other languages (there's occasional ones complaining about the welsh language announcements in wales)

 

[coupwotcoup]

We/I was talking about international trains. I'm not suggesting that Cercanias should
make announcements in more than their local language.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

We/I was talking about international trains. I'm not suggesting that Cercanias should
make announcements in more than their local language.

There's Catalan to consider of course, and Basque/Euskara and other local/regional languages.
It's a matter of great sensitivity in some parts of Spain.
Some people refuse to use Castilian Spanish.

 

[coupwotcoup]

...the local trains in the Northern part of the People's Undemocratic Republic of Catalunya use both...

My Spanish is not great - enough to get by - but when they mix and match, it totally screws me over...

 

[johnnychips]

Do anything to avoid going to a counter at Barcelona Sants. There are always giant queues, a confusing take-a-ticket system, no guarantee that English is spoken if you can't speak Spanish/Catalan, and always the feeling you're queuing in the wrong place. Book on the internet, or buy from an automatic machine. Some of these now do regional trains, not just local ones and these ones are located in the concourse towards platforms 10-14.

 

[Dunnyrail]

Back in the 60's a guy I used to work with went to Spain to take phots and travel on chuffers. He was on a train about to use his Camera on a chuffer when a Guard stuck a Rifle in has back. Only pointing to his pocket where his Photo Permit was resolved what could have been a very worrying incident. When I visited Spain in the 70's for similar chuffer activities I made sure that I was also kitted out with a photo permit which was quite esy to get from RENFE in those days. Reminds me a little of the Jobsworths that we occasionally run into on today's TOC and NR Platforms.
JonD

 

[F Great Eastern]

I really found Saints quite underwhelming truth be told, it's not the most user friendly station I've been at and the ticket machines are not so obvious of how to use because if I remember correctly they are divided into two different interfaces for different trains and there are also different ticket machines as well and it's not so obvious of how to use them.

Plus some of the more legacy stock on the Rodalies de Catalunya routes are pretty classic looking inside but the announcements are good fun with their mixed languages that just sounds odd.

 

[Clansman]

I really found Saints quite underwhelming truth be told, it's not the most user friendly station I've been at and the ticket machines are not so obvious of how to use because if I remember correctly they are divided into two different interfaces for different trains and there are also different ticket machines as well and it's not so obvious of how to use them.
Plus some of the more legacy stock on the Rodalies de Catalunya routes are pretty classic looking inside but the announcements are good fun with their mixed languages that just sounds odd.

Agree with you there. It's like a Spanish concoxion of Birmingham New Street crossed with a pre refurbished Euston.

It would also help if there was signage indicating where the metro is, also. Took me about 10 minutes to hunt down a hidden stairway leading to it with the help of nothing.
Whereas if you compare that to most termini in London and Paris, where there are LU / RATP / RER directions blanketed everywhere, Barcelona Sants is really lacking on a number of fronts that would seem basic in terms of good passenger experience.