In a bid to get passengers back on the trains again, rail board RENFE has launched a high-speed and long-distance ticket offer with discounts of up to 65 percent for August.
With a reduction in foreign holidaymakers due to a series of Covid-19 outbreaks – even though most traditional beach-resort areas have a lower incidence of the virus than many of their usual tourists’ home countries – it could be Spanish residents themselves who ‘save the summer’ for the industry, and making train journeys affordable will help those already undecided about whether or not to take a ‘staycation’ this year.
RENFE says it has put 200,000 seats on the express AVE trains and the cheaper ‘snail-rail’ Larga Distancia (‘Long Distance’) connections on sale with prices and conditions to reflect its ‘Promo+’ tariff – a scheme which allows flexibility in cancellations and changes of date, time and destination.
Numerous offer types are now advertised on Renfe.com, the rail board website, including a two-for-one tourist-class-plus, allowing two people to travel together for half the price, and tariffs for families or friend groups of four to travel at the reduced cost of €100 or €120 for them all, working out at €25 to €30 per head.
They are valid for the AVE, ALVIA and Euromed trains, although offers differ according to which type – as an example, the Larga Distancia connections are frequently less than half the price of the AVE anyway, for the same journey, because they can take up to three times as long to get there and involve at least one change, making them an ideal option for those with time on their hands and who are not bothered about creature comforts such as wider seats or on-board WiFi, but whose priority is getting from A to B as cheaply as they can.
As well as online sales, the offer tickets can be bought at station box offices, via telephone or through the State-run post office chain Correos, although RENFE strongly encourages travellers to use ‘distance’ methods for purchases where they can in order to cut down on crowds, face-to-face contact with strangers, and touching physical items and surfaces.
For those who prefer to buy tickets in person, use of contactless credit or debit cards or mobile phone payments are recommended, rather than cash, to reduce the virus risk.