The Adamuz tragedy: what to do if your train tickets have been affected, compensation and refunds

The Adamuz accident in which two high-speed trains have derailed and 41 people have lost their lives and more than a hundred have been injured has all of Spain shocked. Emergency services continue working on the roads, rescuing victims and investigating this tragedy.

The tasks go on for a long time, keeping the route cut off and forcing travelers to look for alternative travel options. We tell you what options you have and what your rights are.

What routes remain closed

From Adif they report that, currently, the High Speed ​​service between Madrid and all of Andalusia is interrupted. That is, the trains to Córdoba, Seville, Málaga, Granada, Huelva, Cádiz and Algeciras are not operational. This affects all the companies that operate: Renfe, Iryo and Ouigo.

When will the trains between Andalusia and Madrid operate again?

The company that manages the railway network has not set an official reopening date for the line and keeps the deadline open, pending progress and evaluations.

“Once it is possible to remove the affected trains, Adif will evaluate the damage to the infrastructure and mobilize all the technical and human resources necessary to restore circulation.”

Alternatives to travel between Andalusia and Madrid

Renfe has activated an alternative transportation plan to connect the Andalusian provinces with the capital, in both directions. According to the company itself, this service will remain available until trains run normally again and its tickets will go on sale in the next few hours.

The plan is based on communicating the affected routes by high-speed train and bus, unifying them on the same ticket in order to guarantee essential trips. However, they already anticipate that travel times will be much longer.

Alternative plan from Madrid to Andalusia

• Madrid-Puerta de Atocha (7:00)-Sevilla Santa Justa (12:07).
• Madrid-Puerta de Atocha (9:00)-Málaga María Zambrano (14:23).
• Madrid-Puerta de Atocha (11:00)-Sevilla Santa Justa (16:07).
• Madrid-Puerta de Atocha (1:00 p.m.)-Málaga María Zambrano (6:18 p.m.).
• Madrid-Puerta de Atocha (15:00)-Sevilla Santa Justa (20:07).
• Madrid-Puerta de Atocha (17:00)-Málaga María Zambrano (22:23).
• Madrid-Puerta de Atocha (19:00)-Sevilla Santa Justa (00:07).

Alternative plan from Andalusia to Madrid

• Seville -Santa Justa (6:03)- Madrid-Puerta de Atocha (11:14)
• Málaga -Maria Zambrano (7:55)- Madrid-Puerta de Atocha (13:14)
• Seville -Santa Justa (9:55)- Madrid-Puerta de Atocha (15:14)
• Málaga-Maria Zambrano (11:55)- Madrid-Puerta de Atocha (17:14)
• Seville-Santa Justa (14:01)- Madrid-Puerta de Atocha (19:12)
• Málaga-Maria Zambrano (15:55)- Madrid-Puerta de Atocha (21:14)
• Seville-Santa Justa (18:03)- Madrid-Puerta de Atocha (23:14)

These routes include bus sections between Córdoba and Villanueva de Córdoba, with stops in Ciudad Real and Puerto Llano. For their part, services between Córdoba and Málaga stop in Antequera.

Trains by conventional route originating in Madrid

• Madrid Chamartín (7:00)-Sevilla Santa Justa (12:44). Train in double composition.
• Madrid Chamartín (3:00 p.m.)-Cádiz (10:19 p.m.). Train in double composition.
• Madrid Chamartín (16:25)-Granada (22:15)-Almería Huércal (0:32)

Trains by conventional route originating in Andalusia

• Cádiz- (6:35)-Madrid Chamartín (13:52)
• Almería (Huércal) (8:31)-Granada (10:46)- Madrid Chamartín (16:36)
• Seville-Santa Justa (15:00)-Madrid-Chamartín (20:42)

Trains between Córdoba and Cádiz stop in Jerez de la Frontera, El Puerto de Santa María and San Fernando. Travelers originating or destination Huelva will be able to make the connection using Media Distancia services via Seville.

Medium distance trains Madrid-Seville

Renfe has reinforced the medium-distance service that operates between Madrid and Seville with a stop in Extremadura, providing it with 736 new seats.

• Madrid Atocha – Sevilla Santa Justa: January 20 and 22 at 10:55. He arrives at 6:58 p.m.
• Sevilla Santa Justa – Madrid Atocha: January 21 and 23 at 11:50. He arrives at 7:57 p.m.

Trip to Algeciras and Ronda de Antequera

For this trip, Renfe has provided a bus service that covers the itineraries Algeciras (13:10)–Málaga (15:25), Ronda (14:45)–Antequera (15:45), Málaga (14:40)–Algeciras (16:55) and Antequera Santa Ana (14:00)–Ronda (15:00).

Flights from Madrid to Andalusia

Given the crisis situation, Iberia and Air Europa have added four additional daily flights to their routes between Madrid, Seville and Malaga to meet traveler demand.

Buses between Madrid and Andalusia

The bus companies Socibus, Alsa and Interbus have reinforced their regular line services between the capital and different cities in the south of Spain.

How to claim the train ticket after the Adamuz accident

Faced with this situation, the Facua consumer association reminds us that we have three options: change the ticket, request a refund of the amount or travel by an alternative means of transportation.

Change the ticket already purchased

Travelers can request to exchange their ticket for one of the routes offered by Renfe's Alternative Transportation Plan. These new tickets have a fixed price of 40 euros and the transport company will pay the difference.

Full refund of the ticket

Renfe reminds that affected travelers can request a free refund of the original ticket. To do so, you must make a claim directly to the affected companies: Renfe, Ouigo and Iryo, following their instructions and providing the ticket and ID of the holder of said ticket.

Who pays for the forced overnight stay away from home of victims and relatives?

Facua confirms that, in the case of travelers who were returning home and have had to spend the night in accommodation for major reasons, they have the right to have the railway companies provide them with the hotel or cover the expenses incurred.

According to Royal Decree 627/2014, of July 18, Iryo and Renfe must provide assistance to family members, covering the transportation of at least three family members to the site of the accident and their return, as well as their accommodation and maintenance for the time necessary depending on the course of the rescue and identification work.

Compensation: who is entitled to it

If at the time of the accident you have the ticket that guarantees that you are a traveler on said train, the mandatory passenger insurance that is sold along with the ticket includes compensation in case of bodily injuries, death at the time of the event and in the following 18 months due to it, permanent and temporary disability. This is claimed on the same websites of the railway companies.