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No longer a train from Santiago to Madrid?

Laliibeans

Active Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Camino Frances (2014)
I've been going crazy over the last two days checking Rail Europe, Renfe, the forums and every other source I can find about this and I'm starting to panic!

According to Rail Europe and Renfe there is no option to go by train from Santiago to Madrid, it simply brings up a message saying journey not available, etc. I tried numerous different dates (including this entire month day by day) in case they just happened to be booked out but got the same message.

Have they changed this service and train travel from Santiago to Madrid is no longer possible?

Before anyone suggests it, I have gone through numerous forum searches but everyone seems to say it is possible, based on information from at least two years ago. So I'm after current information that may indicate there have been scheduling changes.

If anyone knows anything, I'd really appreciate your help!
 
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Four trains came up for me. Try another browser, or clear your cookies.
 
Hrm, very strange. I had no problem bringing up the train from Paris to Bayonne and some of the other trips I was looking at, it's just this one on both sites that I can't get.

Did you break up the journey or should it go straight through? The website suggested that I needed to break it up as there were more than two transfers but I wouldn't know where the transfers occurred.
 
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A search for mid-February.
 

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Like Falcon I had no issues in getting a list of 4 trains for 8 Jan.

I used Renfe site with Madrid (*) as destination. Perhaps you tried Madrid Puerta de Atocha? The train goes to Madrid-Chamartin.
 
sometimes the sites won't let you search several months out...but trains run the same pretty much every day of the year..so a sunday in January will be same in June..hope this helps!...
 
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I'm not sure what is happening...I searched for this weekend (I've already checked every day this month as I said before so I wasn't expecting anything) and now I can see the overnight train, but no other options. Everything else still says I need to break the journey up.

Maybe I'll just try again in a week and see what happens then or try and search on those particular train number you provided, Falcon, and see if I get different results.
 
There are at least two trains from sdc to madrid, these are direct trains to madrid. I took these trains on a regular basis and the timetable is more or less the same. I suspect you tried to find a schedule that is too far in advance.

Buen camino.
 
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If you're not in Spain now, and not in a big rush (or planning to travel during next high season), you could also just drop into the RENFE store in Santiago - right next door to the Pilgrim's Office - and they'll help you out there. Even though I was able to book online (overnight SdC to Madrid), I had nowhere to print, so I dropped in there and el hombre was happy to print out a boarding pass for me. I should add that the site wasn't the most user-friendly so I'd also recommend that you give it a few tries... Buen suerte & g'day!
 
I took the train from Santiago to Madrid-Chamartin last Thursday and had no problem booking a week or so in advance via the Renfe website.
 
As of Jan. 1, there are not as many direct trains as there used to be, and more of them require a quick change in Orense or Monforte de Lemos. The train you change onto is usually waiting for you on the adjacent track, and they make it perfectly clear what you have to do and where to go. No worries.
 
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Also look at flights if you are coming in from Australia, I flew SdeC Madrid on route home to Ireland, much cheaper and quicker. And if it is on the way for pilgrimage you can be sure you have the day you want.
 
I've looked up the train numbers that Falcon provided and they came up on that search, it's just when I search from destination it gives me all sorts of results using the exact same search each time (I tried 20 times in a row without changing any options and got different results coming up)...(it was a slow day)...So I think I'm just going to book through an agent for peace of mind. I'm getting the same thing happening on two different computers in very different locations so I'm not going to risk booking and finding out it's a ghost train and I've been instantly cursed or what have you.
 

hello lalibeans,

give me the date you plan to travel and i will look it up for you with the info. i am currently habving a little holiday in madrid.

good luck. bvuen camino.
 
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