Renfe

"Spanish Train" redirects here. For the Chris de Burgh song, see Spanish Train and Other Stories.

Not to be confused with Red Nacional de los Ferrocarriles Españoles.

Renfe-Operadora

Company type	Statutory corporation
Industry	Rail transport
Predecessor	Red Nacional de los Ferrocarriles Españoles
Founded	1 January 2005
Headquarters	Madrid , Spain
Key people	Isaías Táboas (CEO), Enrique Peña Pérez, Manuel Fresno Castro, José Luis Marroquín
Products	Rail passenger and freight transport
Revenue	€3.979 billion (2018)
Net income	€111 million (2018)
Owner	Government of Spain
Number of employees	13,720 (2018)
Subsidiaries	Renfe Viajeros Renfe Mercancías Renfe Fabricación y Mantenimiento Renfe Alquiler de Material Ferroviario
Website	renfe.com

Map of the Spanish rail network in 2019, with colour-coded track types. Renfe Operadora operates on conventional Iberian gauge (red), high speed (blue), and narrow gauge (green) lines.

A Renfe train ticket

Renfe (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈreɱfe], Eastern Catalan: [ˈreɱfə]), officially Renfe-Operadora, is Spain's national state-owned railway company.

It was created in 2005 upon the split of the former Spanish National Railway Network (RENFE) into the Administración de Infraestructuras Ferroviales (ADIF), which inherited the infrastructure, and Renfe-Operadora, which inherited the railway service.

History

Further information: History of rail transport in Spain

The name "Renfe" (acronym of Red Nacional de los Ferrocarriles Españoles) is derived from that of the former Spanish National Railway Network created on 24 January 1941 with the nationalisation of Spain's railways. As per EU Directive 91/440, Renfe was divided into Renfe Operadora (operations) and ADIF (infrastructure) on 1 January 2005. At the same time, the existing Renfe logo (nicknamed the "galleta", Spanish for biscuit), first introduced in 1971, was replaced by a dark purple lower-case wordmark designed by Interbrand. Separate logos used by the other sectors were also replaced, but the old Renfe logo remains in use in some stations in Spain and on maps to indicate an ADIF station.

The Railway Sector Act, 2003 separated the management, maintenance and construction of rail infrastructure from train operation. The first activity is now the responsibility of Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias (ADIF), while the newly created Renfe-Operadora (also known as Grupo Renfe or simply Renfe) owns the rolling stock and remains responsible for the planning, marketing and operation of the passenger and freight services.

Renfe no longer has a monopoly on domestic passenger services due to Ouigo España launching in 2021, followed by Iryo in 2022.

Structure

Renfe-Operadora inherited the management model of the old Renfe, which made Renfe-Operadora responsible for the operation of the passenger and freight services. In January 2006, Renfe-Operadora restructured the main business units into four general directorates:

• Dirección General de Servicios Públicos de Cercanías y Media Distancia (General Public Utilities Directorate for Suburban and Medium Distance): responsible for commuter services (Cercanías), medium-distance high-speed rail AVE services and medium-range regional services (es:Regionales and es:Media Distancia). However, control of some Cercanías services were transferred to Spain's Autonomous communities.
• Dirección General de Servicios de Larga Distancia (General Directorate of Long Distance Services): responsible for long-distance intercity and high-speed rail services (except medium-distance AVE services and Media Distancia, which is managed by the above business unit).
• Dirección General de Servicios de Mercancías y Logística (General Directorate for Freight and Logistics Services): responsible for freight services.
• Dirección General de Fabricación y Mantenimiento (General Directorate of Manufacturing and Maintenance): responsible for rolling stock maintenance and manufacture (also known as Integria).

In June 2013, Renfe's board agreed to restructure the group into four separate companies under the holding company:

• Renfe Viajeros, operating passenger trains;
• Renfe Mercancías, freight;
• Renfe Fabricación y Mantenimiento, rolling stock maintenance;
• Renfe Alquiler de Material Ferroviario, train leasing.

Figures

Figures	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019
Passengers (Mio.)	527,975	517,583	510,176	476,334	463,012	476,917	472,145	466,057	464,961	465,201	471,359	487,881	507,088	510,453
Passenger-kilometer (Mio.)	20,480	20,167	22,281	21,895	21,166	21,585	21,319	22,563	23,754	24,825	25,291	26,060	26,931	27,263
AVE Passengers (Tsd.)	4.878	5.559	11.461	11.250	10.851	12.563	12.101	14.697	17.967	19.428	20.352	21.108	21.332	22.370
AVE Passenger-kilometer (Tsd.)	1.884	2.161	4.888	5.260	5.171	5.846	5.793	7.095	8.038	9.230	9.632	10.267	10.289	10.760

Operations

The company operates some 12,000 km (7,500 mi) of railways, 7,000 km (4,300 mi) of them electrified. Most of the tracks are constructed to the broad Iberian gauge of 1,668 mm (5 ft 5+21⁄32 in), the same as that used in Portugal but wider than the international gauge of 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) which is standard in most of the rest of the world. The newer high-speed (AVE) network has been built to the international standard gauge of 1,435 mm for the connection to the rest of the European railway system. For this reason, the 1,435 mm gauge is generally termed "European gauge" in Spain.

Construction of a high-speed rail line between Madrid and Seville began in 1988 and began operations in 1991, going 300 km/h (190 mph). The second high-speed rail line (Madrid to Barcelona) was completed in 2007 with the inaugural service commencing on 20 February 2008. The operational speed on this route is 350 km/h (220 mph). The greater part of the line (Madrid to Lleida) was entered service on 11 October 2003, with a connection to Huesca from Zaragoza. The third high-speed line (Madrid to Toledo) was opened in November 2005, followed by a spur from Córdoba to Málaga as far as Antequera in 2007. Another high-speed route from Madrid to Valladolid was opened in 2007. A line from Madrid to Valencia was opened in 2010, and the first stage of a high-speed line in Galicia opened in 2011. A line to Lisbon is being designed.

Other lines operated by Renfe include Euromed, a moderate-speed line between Barcelona and Alicante.

In addition to intercity transport, Renfe operates commuter train systems, known as Cercanías (or Rodalies in Catalonia and Cercanías-Aldirikoak in the Basque Country), in eleven metropolitan areas, including Madrid and Barcelona. In some cities, Renfe shares the market with other commuter railway operators, such as FGC.

In 2019, Renfe solicited bids for 31 new trains for the Asturias and Cantabria regions and the €258m contract was awarded to the CAF (Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles) in June 2020. Around February 2023, authorities discovered the designs were for the wrong loading gauge and would be too wide for the tunnels. Amidst international embarrassment, Renfe and ADIF each tried to deflect responsibility, and some called for the firing of the executives deemed responsible. Fortunately, the trains were still being designed, however the Cercanía commuter trains will be delayed until 2026. Subsequently, transport officials including the president of Renfe and the Secretary of State for Transport resigned.

In November 2024, Renfe bought a 33% shareholding in Arenaways.

Passenger rolling stock

Renfe-Operadora utilises the following rolling stock and commercial products inside of its two divisions:

Suburban and Medium Distance (DGSPCMD)

Cercanías AM (Meter Gauge Commuter Services)

Rolling stock	Region(s)	Image
Feve Class 2400 DMU	Asturias Cantabria Galicia
Feve Class 2600 DMU	Asturias Castile and León
Feve Class 2700 DMU	Asturias Basque Country Cantabria Castile and León Galicia
Feve Class 2900 DMU	Castile and León Galicia Murcia
Feve Class 3300 EMU	Asturias
Feve Class 3500 EMU	Asturias
Feve Class 3600 EMU	Asturias Basque Country Cantabria
Feve Class 3800 EMU	Cantabria

Cercanías (Commuter Services)

Rolling stock	Metropolitan area(s)	Image
Renfe Class 442 EMU	Madrid
Renfe Class 446 EMU	Bilbao Madrid
Renfe Class 447 EMU	Barcelona Madrid Valencia Murcia/Alicante San Sebastián Santander
Renfe Class 450 EMU	Barcelona Madrid
Renfe Class 462/463/464/465 EMU	Asturias Barcelona Cádiz Madrid Málaga Sevilla Valencia Zaragoza
Renfe Class 592 DMU	Valencia Murcia/Alicante

Mainline Medium Distance Services

Rolling stock	Route(s)	Image
Renfe Class 440/470 EMU (to be phased out)	Córdoba – Rabanales León – Ponferrada – Vigo León – Gijón Valladolid – Santander Valladolid – Ávila Valladolid – León Valencia − Barcelona Valencia − Alicante
Renfe Class 448 EMU	Catalunya Aragón
Renfe Class 449 EMU	Madrid – Jaén León – Ponferrada – Orense – Vigo Sevilla – Cádiz Barcelona – Girona – Figueres – Portbou Huelva – Sevilla Jaén – Córdoba – Sevilla – Cadiz Madrid − Alcázar de San Juan − Albacete Madrid − Alcázar de San Juan − Ciudad Real Alicante – Albacete – Ciudad Real Madrid − León Madrid – Vitoria Irun - Vitoria - Miranda de Ebro Córdoba – Bobadilla Barcelona – Reus Barcelona – Tortosa
Renfe Class 592 DMU (to be phased out)	Madrid – Talavera Murcia – Cartagena Valencia − Alcoi CELTA: Oporto - Vigo (Service CP)
Renfe Class 594 DMU	Valladolid – Zamora – Puebla de Sanabria A Coruña – Ferrol A Coruña – Lugo – Monforte de Lemos - Ourense Madrid – Soria Murcia – Cartagena
Renfe Class 598 DMU	Cáceres – Valencia de Alcántara Sevilla – Cáceres - Madrid
Renfe Class 599 DMU	Madrid – Badajoz Huelva – Zafra A Coruña – Vigo Guixar Salamanca – Ávila – Madrid Salamanca – Palencia Valencia – Cartagena Zaragoza – Valencia Zaragoza – Cartagena Sevilla – Málaga Sevilla – Almería Granada – Algeciras Málaga – Ronda Granada – Linares Madrid − Águilas

High-Speed Medium Distance Services

Service	Rolling stock	Route(s)	Image
Avant	Renfe Class 104 EMU	Madrid – Toledo Madrid – Ciudad Real Málaga – Granada Sevilla – Córdoba Barcelona – Camp De Tarragona Sevilla - Málaga
	Renfe Class 114 EMU	Madrid – Puertollano Madrid – Valladolid Barcelona – Figueres Barcelona – Lleida Sevilla – Granada
	Renfe Class 121 EMU	Cádiz – Jaén A Coruña – Ourense A Coruña – Vigo Urzaiz Madrid – Ponferrada Ponferrada-Vigo Madrid – Gandia Madrid-Salamanca

Long Distance (DGSLD)

Luxury Tourist Train Services

Service	Route(s)	Locomotive	Passenger Car	Image
Al Ándalus	Sevilla - Granada - Úbeda - Sevilla	Renfe Class 319.3 Locomotive	Al Ándalus
Costa Verde Express	Bilbao - Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela - Bilbao	Feve Class 1900 Locomotive	El Transcantábrico
El Transcantábrico Gran Lujo	San Sebastián–Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela–San Sebastián	Feve Class 1900 Locomotive	El Transcantábrico
La Robla Express	"La Robla Route:" Bilbao - León León - Bilbao "Pilgrim's Route:" Oviedo - Ortigueira - Santiago de Compostela - Oviedo	Feve Class 1650 Locomotive	La Robla

Mainline Long Distance Services

Service(s)	Route(s)	Locomotive	Passenger Car	Image
Intercity	Madrid – Algeciras Madrid – Granada Madrid – Murcia – Cartagena Madrid – Almería Barcelona – Murcia – Cartagena/Lorca Madrid – Cáceres – Badajoz	Renfe Class 334 Locomotive	Talgo Pendular
	Madrid – Almería Barcelona – Murcia – Cartagena/Lorca Madrid – Valencia	Renfe Class 252 Locomotive	Talgo Pendular

High-Speed Long Distance Services

Service	Rolling stock	Route(s)	Image
AVE	Renfe Class 100 EMU	Madrid – Sevilla Madrid – Alicante Madrid – Marseille[1] Barcelona – Toulouse[2] Barcelona – Lyon[3]
	Renfe Class 102 EMU	Madrid – Huesca Madrid – Zaragoza Madrid – Valladolid Madrid – Málaga Valencia – Sevilla
	Renfe Class 103 EMU	Madrid – Barcelona Madrid – Málaga
	Renfe Class 112 EMU	Madrid – Cuenca – Valencia Madrid – Cuenca – Albacete Madrid – León Barcelona – Málaga Barcelona – Zaragoza Barcelona – Sevilla
Alvia (mixed high-speed & conventional service)	Renfe Class 120 EMU	Madrid – Pamplona Madrid – Logroño Madrid – Irún/Hendaya Madrid – Bilbao Madrid – Salamanca Barcelona – Irún Barcelona – Bilbao Barcelona – Pamplona Barcelona – Valladolid Torre del Oro: Barcelona – Valencia – Sevilla – Cádiz
	Renfe Class 130 EMU	Madrid – Gijón Madrid – Santander Alicante – Gijón Alicante – Santander Madrid – Cádiz Madrid – Huelva Madrid – Valencia – Castellón Madrid – Valencia – Gandía Barcelona – A Coruña Barcelona – Vigo Barcelona – Gijón Euromed: Barcelona – Valencia – Alicante
	Renfe Class 730 HMU	Alicante – Madrid – Pontevedra Alicante – Madrid – A Coruña Madrid – Ferrol Madrid – Pontevedra Madrid – Ponferrada Madrid – Murcia Madrid – Badajoz

Prototype rolling stock

Service	Rolling stock	Image
AVE	Renfe Class 105 EMU
AVE	Talgo AVRIL EMU

Future rolling stock

Service	Rolling stock	Quantity
Ancho Metrico	Unknown Meter Gauge CAF EMU	26
	Unknown Meter Gauge CAF BMU	5
Cercanías	X'trapolis Coradia EMU	152
	FLIRT/KISS EMU	59
	Unknown Meter Gauge CAF EMU	6
Media Distancia	Unknown Iberian Gauge CAF EMU	28
AVE	Renfe Class 106 EMU	30
	Renfe Class 107 EMU	13

Vehicles register numbers

All classes are designated by three numbers. The first digit has a special meaning:

• 1xx: High speed multiple unit
• 2xx: Electric locomotive
• 3xx: Diesel locomotive
• 4xx: Electric multiple unit (EMU)
• 5xx: Diesel multiple unit (DMU)
• 6xx: Hybrid locomotive
• 7xx: Hybrid multiple unit (HMU)
• 8xx: Trams which can run on railways

Tickets

Travel tickets are available from rail stations and online. In 2023 the European Commission initiated an investigation into concerns that Renfe might have been abusing its dominant position in the online ticketing market by refusing to share journey time information with competing ticketing websites. Renfe offered a number of commitments intended to address these concerns, which the European Commission made legally binding in January 2024 under the EU's competition rules.

See also

• Renfe Feve
• History of rail transport in Spain
• Rail transport in Spain
• Transport in Spain
• Madrid, Zaragoza and Alicante railway

Notes

1.^ Operated by CP in Portugal.

2.^ Managed by Elipsos under the brand Renfe-SNCF en Cooperación/en Coopération.

External links

• Train tickets from France and Spain^[usurped]
• Renfe's official website
• Documents and clippings about Renfe in the 20th Century Press Archives of the ZBW