Spain rail: Malaga-Madrid train ticket holders and how cancellations impact them
According to travel agencies, rail operators are reimbursing passengers, most of whom have stopped considering the train for their trips to and from Madrid
With two deadlines for the reopening of the high-speed Andalusian rail already delayed, many are wondering what happens to their tickets if their train is cancelled? Travel agencies have confirmed that rail operators keep reimbursing passengers with every update from the government.
Since the Adamuz train accident, the Ministry of Transport has established two dates for the return to normal train traffic: 2 February and 8 February. Reopening has not been possible on either and now passengers who have tickets for next week's Malaga-Madrid trains are saying how this has affected them.
For some, a simple reimbursement is enough. Operators are directly reimbursing when travel dates approach and the network is still cut. Travel agencies refund tickets bought from them. For others, however, cancellations and unclear deadlines do imply loss of money.
Ester Pino was hoping to travel with her partner to Madrid this Sunday, 8 February. The state railway operator running the AVE train has refunded them, but their plans also included a few days in Salamanca. The 140 euros they have spent for the Madrid-Salamanca return trip are not subject to reimbursement. "They have ruined our holidays," Ester says.
Alba is in a similar situation, where she first had to go to Madrid on 12 February to then catch a train to León for an annual gathering with friends. The latest Ministry of Transport update announced that high-speed trains between Malaga and Madrid will not run at least until then, so she cannot go to the capital. If Alba cancels her Madrid-León trip, she will not get her money back.
This uncertainty has caused AVE sales to slow down. Head of the association of travel agents Sergio García says that now almost nobody is considering travelling by train to Madrid, at least until March.
Various agencies have said that they have only sold one ticket since the Adamuz accident, when they typically sell between 5,000 and 6,000 euros worth of AVE tickets each month.
"The situation is mind-boggling. Malaga is cut off because the alternative of air travel is not an option with the current seating capacity. Planes are full and at very high prices. Those who travel for pleasure do so by car and the companies that need staff to travel are cancelling events or adjusting them to the days and times when there are tickets at a high but at least not restrictive price," García says.
He urges the government to put an end to the uncertainty and give a definite date, even if it is in a month's time.
