Rambling Rose

Just a quick question. I want to get a train from Seville to Cordoba - there & back in one day. I don't want to book in advance as I'm not sure exactly when I'll be travelling. I've made a note of trains from the Renfe website so I've a rough idea when the cheaper ones run. The AVE seems a bit pricey.

I read somewhere that you need to be at the station 30 minutes before your train as there is a security check similar to the one at airports. Is this just for the AVE? Is there any restriction on what you can take on the train?

How long should I allow to buy a ticket and get on an ordinary train?

Lynn R

The only security check I've ever been through at a railway station (including for the AVE) is putting my bags through a scanner. There has never been a check of people, making you take shoes off or any of that stuff. If you are going for the day presumably you won't be taking luggage, but a handbag would need to be put through. I've never experienced a queue, though. For the AVE staff also check your ticket, either bought at the station or printed off if you booked online, on the platform before boarding.

There can sometimes be queues at the station to buy tickets but they always have one desk set aside for immediate travel so if you allow 30 minutes you should have plenty of time. The big stations like Sevilla all operate a numbered ticket system so you take a number and wait for the electronic display to show your number and which ticket window to go to.

The booking conditions state that you are allowed a suitcase with a maximum weight (20kg I think) but as they don't weigh anything I don't know how they'd check!

Rambling Rose

Thanks Lynn thats helpful.

Domino

Has life changed that drastically ??
I know it is 4 years since I travelled by train out of Seville (to Marchena for the day) but we went to the station, bought a ticket, caught the next train (didnt know the time until got to station), very pleasant journey, did our thing and walked into the station at Marchena to catch the train back.

No restrictions, just Pay And Go. No one searched us, gave us funny looks or anything.

Please, let us know how you got on, it would be a very paranoid world to have security checks before catching a train.
rgds

Lynn R

The security checks, i.e. having your bags put through a scanner, were introduced following the bombings at Madrid Atocha station.

Domino

that was 2004 March 11

I was last on a Spanish train 4 years later and wasnt subject to security searches etc
Admittedly it was a local service from Seville, but definitely no searches, no advance booking, just buy a ticket and get on the train. Ticket was sold with seat number printed on it.

Lynn R

No, they don't do them for local services. But I definitely have to put bags through a scanner at Malaga railway station when travelling to Sevilla, and have also done so at Sevilla and Madrid main stations. They use scanners in the left luggage facilities, too. As I said in my original post, there are no searches of people or their clothing.

Domino

we found the local system very quaint, oldy worldy. The station at Marchena was totally open, no barriers. The station master did everything, tickets, sweeping, answering telephone. When a train is approaching he puts on his jacket and official hat and marches off to meet those passengers getting off, directing them to the exit, and from the far platform of the two ensuring the train doesnt leave until they have all crossed in front of it.
However, it had that 1930's feeling of gentile efficiency.

much to be applauded, especially as the trains were clean, on time, very smooth journey.

Rambling Rose

Ok we're back and this is how it went:

Got to Seville station at 8:50 for a 9:20 train to Cordoba. No queue at the ticket office. Friendly man at counter sold us tickets for the AVANT service which takes about 50 minutes. I asked for returns and he said did we know which train we wanted to come back on or would we prefer to leave it open? We said open and he sold us tickets which said 'ida y vuelta' on them and wrote the times of the return AVANT trains on a piece of paper for me. So far so impressed.
We went down to the platform where our tickets were scanned and my bag was put through an airport type baggage scanner. (there was a bottle of water in it but that didn't seem to matter. The signs indicated no guns or sharp instruments) We had numbered seats on the train which was pleasant, clean and on time.
When we were ready to get the train back to Seville we went to Cordoba station about 15 minutes before our chosen train and presented ourselves at the scanner on the platform. That's when it all went pear shaped. What I had not realised and our friendly ticket salesman in Seville had not explained, was that although our tickets said return on them we had not actually paid for the return portion of the journey and needed to queue for another ticket, presenting the original to get the 10% discount from the cost of the total journey.
Of course there was a huge queue at the ticket office so we missed the train. The next one was an AVE which was too expensive, then an MD which takes about an hour and a half, then the AVANT service which wasn't running again for another hour and a half. So we opted for the MD which was also cheaper.
This time we also got allocated seats but there was no check of tickets either on or off the train and no scanner. Train again very clean and pleasant - arrived in Seville 5 minutes ahead of schedule.
So all in all a learning experience and plenty of chances to practice my spanish

Lynn R

Oh dear, sorry about the problems with your return journey. That business of buying a return ticket but only paying for the outward journey happens with our bus service to Malaga, and it's really annoying having to queue again at the bus station to pay the return part of the fare. Why they can't sell you a return on the bus I have no idea.

I knew I wasn't dreaming about the scanner at Sevilla railway station. It's a bit self-defeating that they don't seem to have them at all major stations though, all a potential terrorist would have to do is get on at one of them.

big wheels

Unlike in the UK, all medium/long distance train passengers in Spain are given a seat number to prevent overcrowding and guarantee you a seat.
This is why you must re-check in at the ticket counter for your return journey when you have an open ticket.

Your friendly ticket salesman in Seville should have explained this.


The same rule applies to inter city bus travel, that's why unless you know which bus you are returning on, you have to go to the bus station counter to validate your ticket and to ensure that the bus you want isn't already full.

Rambling Rose

Well to be honest we should have realised as we were allocated seat numbers on the outward journey. We actually sat in a cafe at lunch time wondering how it was going to work on the way back. We guessing, wrongly of course, that they would allocate seats when they scanned the tickets on the platform.
It didn't matter a bit to us, we got a bit more time in Cordoba and I always think you learn more when you make mistakes.
We were more frustrated when we got back to the hotel and no-one was manning the bar