Map of the Spanish rail network as it was in 2005, with colour-coded track types

A new Cercanías Civia unit near Puerto Real (Cádiz)

AVE Class 100 train at Cordoba station

Renfe Operadora is the state-owned company which operates freight and passenger trains on the 1668-mm "Iberian gauge" and 1435-mm "European gauge" networks of the Spanish national railway infrastructure company ADIF (Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias). Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Cercanías (θeɾkaˈnias is the name given to the Commuter rail systems of Spain 's major metropolitan areas Puerto Real (Port Royal is a seaport in southern Spain, in the province of Cádiz and the autonomous region of Andalusia. Cádiz ( Spanish:) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the province of the same name, a province which is one of eight Ave! or aue! is a Latin phrase used by the Romans as a salutation and Greeting, meaning 'hail' Public ownership (also called government ownership, state ownership or state property) refers to Government Ownership of any A train is a connected series of vehicles that move along a track ( Permanent way) to transport freight or passengers from one place to another Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. "Railroad" and "Railway" both redirect here For other uses see Railroad (disambiguation. Infrastructure typically refers to the technical structures that support a society such as Roads Water supply, Wastewater, Power grids

History

Further information: History of rail transport in Spain

The Railway Sector Act of 2003 separated the management, maintenance and construction of rail infrastructure from train operation. The first activity is now the responsibility of a new public company, Administrador de Infrestructuras Ferroviarias (ADIF), while Renfe (full name: Renfe Operadora) owns the rolling-stock and remains responsible for the planning, marketing and operation of passenger and freight services (though no longer with a legal monopoly).

Renfe Operadora inherited the management model of the business units of the old RENFE, which made Renfe Operadora responsible for the operation of the following passenger and freight services. In January 2006, Renfe Operadora restructured the main business units into four:

• Dirección General de Servicios Públicos de Cercanías y Media Distancia: responsible for commuter services (Cercanías), medium-distance high-speed rail AVE services and medium-range regional services (Regionales and Media Distancia). However, control of some Cercanías services are transferred to Spain's Autonomous communities.
• Dirección General de Servicios de Larga Distancia: responsible for long-distance intercity and high-speed rail services (except medium-distance AVE services and Media Distancia, which is managed by the above business unit.
• Dirección General de Servicios de Mercancías y Logística: responsible for freight services.
• Dirección General de Fabricación y Mantenimiento: responsible for rolling stock maintenance and manufacture (also known as Integria)

The name is derived from that of the former Spanish National Railway Network, RENFE (Red Nacional de los Ferrocarriles Españoles) which had been created on 24 January 1941 when Spain's railways were nationalized. Events 41 - Gaius Caesar (Caligula, known for his eccentricity and cruel Despotism, is Assassinated by his disgruntled Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Nationalization, also spelled nationalisation, is the act of taking an industry or assets into the Public ownership of a national government As per EU Directive 91/440, RENFE was divided into Renfe Operadora (operations) and ADIF (infrastructure) on 1 January 2005. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. At the same time, the existing RENFE two arrows logo from 1971 has been replaced by a dark purple lower-case wordmark designed by Interbrand, and also replaces some of the separate logos used by the other sectors, although the old RENFE logo remains in use in some stations in Spain and on maps to indicate a RENFE station. Year 1971 ( MCMLXXI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1971 Gregorian calendar.

Operations

The company operates some 15,000 km of railways, most of which are constructed to the broad "Iberian" gauge of 1668 mm, the same as that used in Portugal but wider than the gauge of 1435 mm which is standard in France and most of western and central Europe. Broad gauge Railways use a Rail gauge (distance between the rails greater than the Standard gauge of. Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The newer high-speed (AVE} network, however, has been built to the international standard gauge of 1435 mm gauge in anticipation of its eventual connection to the rest of the European railway system. Ave! or aue! is a Latin phrase used by the Romans as a salutation and Greeting, meaning 'hail' The standard gauge (also named the Stephenson gauge after George Stephenson, or Normal gauge) is a widely-used Rail gauge. For this reason, the 1435-mm gauge is generally termed "European gauge" in Spain.

The Spanish high-speed system is called AVE. Ave! or aue! is a Latin phrase used by the Romans as a salutation and Greeting, meaning 'hail' (Alta Velocidad Española, Spanish High Speed). The logo incorporates a feature which resembles a bird (ave in Spanish). The high-speed lines are built to the standard European gauge (1435 mm). The standard gauge (also named the Stephenson gauge after George Stephenson, or Normal gauge) is a widely-used Rail gauge. Speed on the Seville line is 300 km/h. The line to Lleida is slower at present, though there are plans for eventual operation at 350 km/h on this route.

Construction of the high-speed rail line between Madrid and Seville began in 1988 and operation commenced in 1991. Seville ( Spanish: Sevilla, see also different names) is the artistic cultural and financial capital of southern Spain. Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. The second high-speed rail line, from Madrid to Barcelona, was completed in 2007 with the inaugural service commencing at 6 am February 20, 2008. The greater part of the line, from Madrid to Lleida, was put in service on October 11, 2003, with connection to Huesca from Zaragoza. Lleida (Standard Central Catalan ˈʎejðə or North-Western Catalan; Spanish Lérida, though officially referred as Lleida October 2003: January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - Huesca (Uesca Latin: Osca; Greek:, Ptol ii 6 § 68 is a city in Aragon, Spain. Zaragoza, also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza province and of the autonomous community and former The last high-speed line opened is Madrid - Toledo, in November 2005, followed by the spur from Córdoba to Málaga as far as Antequera in 2007. Madrid (pronounced in English in Spanish and colloquially in Spain) is the Capital and largest city of Spain. Toledo Spain locationpng|thumb|right|200px|Location of Toledo in Spain PortalCurrent events News collections and sources See WikipediaNews collections and sources. ||-||-||} Córdoba ( Cordova in English is a City in Andalusia, southern Spain, and the capital of the province of Córdoba. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Another high-speed route from Madrid to Valladolid was opened in 2007, and other lines to Valencia and Lisbon are being designed. ||-||} is an industrial city and it is a Municipality in north-central Spain, upon the Pisuerga River and within the Ribera del Duero wine-making region Valencia ( Valencian: València, Valencia Spanish phonology --> is the capital of the Spanish autonomous Lisbon (Lisboa liʒˈboɐ is the Capital and largest city of Portugal. The route Madrid-Galicia is under construction between the major Galician cities. Galicia (occasionally Galiza) is an autonomous community in northwest Spain.

Other lines operated by Renfe include Alaris, a moderate-speed line between Madrid and Valencia. Alaris is the brand name of the Regional rail network run by the Spanish national rail company RENFE that connects the major cities of Madrid

In addition to intercity transport, Renfe operates commuter train systems, known as Cercanías (or the equivalent local name), in eleven metropolitan areas, including Madrid and Barcelona. InterCity (commonly abbreviated IC on timetables and tickets is the classification applied to certain long-distance Passenger train services in Transport or transportation is the movement of people and goods from one place to another Commuter rail, regional rail or suburban rail is a Passenger rail transport service between a city center and outer suburbs and Commuter towns Cercanías (θeɾkaˈnias is the name given to the Commuter rail systems of Spain 's major metropolitan areas Madrid (pronounced in English in Spanish and colloquially in Spain) is the Capital and largest city of Spain. Barcelona ( Catalan bəɾsəˈlonə Spanish baɾθeˈlona is the capital and most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia The former was targeted in the March 11, 2004 Madrid train bombings. While the latter and some of the regional trains going to Barcelona have been without service since 20th October 2007. Barcelona ( Catalan bəɾsəˈlonə Spanish baɾθeˈlona is the capital and most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia In some cities Renfe shares the market with other commuter railway operators.

Ticketing procedures

The Grandes Líneas (inter-city) division of Renfe operates a rather peculiar ticketing system when compared to industry norms. Any reservation by telephone or internet is allocated a "localizador" or booking reference. This is a code that simply acts as a reference to your booking and does not substitute a normal paper ticket. The current practice is that you will be allowed to board an inter-city train with your "localizador", however, if you miss your train, your entire booking is invalidated including your return ticket. Numerous unsuspecting passengers have had the unpleasant experience of being forced to purchase an additional ticket (often only expensive 1st class remains available) for the return journey, having missed their outbound train. ^[1] Many passengers reasonably assume that the booking reference is confirmation of your seat, however, this appears not to be the case.

Renfe will turn away passengers who do not have sufficient funds to purchase a new (usually 1st class) ticket for their return journey, despite having paid in full and arrived at the station on time for their return trip. This practice is allegedly illegal because contract law asserts that the customer (passenger) enters into an agreement with the company (Renfe) to fulfil the entire service offered once they have made their purchase (whether it be by internet or over the phone). Passengers, in particular those operating on a tight budget (students, etc), should be aware of this practice and ensure that they arrive at the station with enough time to have their paper tickets issued.

Passenger rolling stock

Renfe Operadora counts on the following rolling stock and commercial products inside of its two divisions that contain services of travellers:

D. G. S. P. Cercanías y Media Distancia

Renfe 446 EMU in Bilbao. Bilbao, (also Bilbo) in the North of Spain, is the largest city in the Basque Country and the capital of the province of Biscay (Basque

Cercanías:

• RENFE Class 440 EMU
• RENFE Class 442 EMU
• RENFE Class 446 EMU
• RENFE Class 447 EMU
• RENFE Class 450 EMU
• RENFE Class 451 EMU
• Civia (RENFE Class 462, 463, 464 and 465) EMU
• RENFE Class 592 DMU

Media Distancia:

• RENFE Class 432 EMU
• RENFE Class 440 EMU
• RENFE Class 470 EMU
• RENFE Class 444 EMU
• RENFE Class 448 EMU
• RENFE Class 592 DMU
• RENFE Class 593 DMU
• RENFE Class 594 DMU
• RENFE Class 596 DMU
• RENFE Class 598 DMU
• RENFE Class 104 EMU
• RENFE Class 130 EMU

D. G. S. P. Larga Distancia

See also

• Transportation in Spain
• FEVE
• History of rail transport in Spain

References

External links

• RENFE's official website