Authorities have indicated that the high-speed rail line between the Spanish capital and the southern region of Andalusia won’t resume until February 2nd, following the tragic train collision on Sunday night which killed at least 41 people.
Spain’s state-owned railway infrastructure manager Adif, along with Transport Minister Óscar Puente, have confirmed that it will likely be a couple more weeks before the high-speed train service can resume.
“The date for resuming the rail connection will be around February 2nd”, Puente told reporters.
In the meantime, there will be alternative transport provided between Villanueva de Córdoba and Córdoba with a rail replacement bus service, bypassing the crash site.
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The bus journey will of course increase travel times, but it does mean that travellers will be able to get to and from Madrid.
Trains will depart from Madrid-Puerta de Atocha at 7am, 11am, 3pm, and 7pm to Seville, and at 9am, 13pm, and 5pm to Málaga.
Trains will depart from Seville at 6:03am, 9:55am, 2:01pm, and 6:03pm, while trains from Málaga will depart at 7:55pm, 11:55am, and 3:55pm, for all the days the section remains closed.
Passengers will have to change onto the bus service part way through the journey.
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Services between Madrid and Villanueva de Córdoba will stop in Ciudad Real and Puertollano, while those between Córdoba and Málaga will stop in Antequera. There will be no more stops between Seville and Córdoba.
Renfe will also offer a normal daily train service (not high-speed) from Chamartín to Seville at 7am, Cádiz at 3pm, and Granada and Almería at 4:25pm.
From Andalusia up to Madrid, services will run at 6:35am from Cádiz, 8:31am from Almería, and 3pm from Seville.
Renfe has also increased capacity on the Madrid–Extremadura–Seville medium distance rail connection by 736 seats.
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If passengers are due to travel in the next couple of weeks and had already bought their tickets, they should request a refund and purchase a new one which will include the alternative bus services. They can also make a change and be refunded the difference in cost.
