National
RENFE Spanish Railways launch new website
By h.b.
Dec 19, 2007 - 8:25 PM

RENFE Spanish railways have changed the design of the company website to make it easier for travellers to purchase tickets online.

A previous requirement to register prior to purchase has now been abandoned and users can now also change travelling times, cancel tickets and obtain refunds directly to their credit card.
The company is now offering discounts of upto 40% on standard ticket prices on long distance services and upto 60% on AVE high speed lines.

There are some design limitations however. Users are not supplied with a list of discounts, but have to find them one by one when booking their ticket times.
All internet bookings are still subjected to a surcharge of 2.75% to cover ‘online costs’.

It comes as the new AVE high speed services are about to start from Madrid to Valladolid on the 22nd and to Málaga on the 23rd of the month.

The company is holding talks upto the wire with the CCOO and CGT unions to try and avoid strike action which has been planned for the 21st and 28 of this month.

RENFE has announced that their usual full ticket refund if you arrive more than five minutes late on AVE services will not be applied to the new AVE lines to Valladolid and Málaga, at least not for the time being.

Initially compensation rates will be as follows:
50% returned if the train arrives 15-30 minutes late and 100% if the train is more than 30 minutes late. The company says it will introduce the full refund for a five minute delay later.

Renfe website: www.renfe.com