AVE and Long Distance reach 8.4 million travelers
Renfe his season has ended summer 2025 with a new record of travelers after registering 8.4 million users of its commercial service trains (AVE, Avlo, Alvia, Euromed, Intercity and Tourist Trains) between July 1 and September 15, as reported by the company in a statement.
These 8.4 million travelers They represent almost 350,000 more than those registered in the same period of 2024, when 8.1 million users of these Renfe long-distance services were counted.
The occupancy percentage was 94.1%so these trains were practically full in the summer period, while the punctuality rate was 80.5%.
The month of July marked the best monthly historical record of travelers on AVE and Long Distance, with 3.5 million passengers, 4.6% more than in the previous historical maximum, obtained in June of this same year.
The most popular routes this summer have been those that connect Madrid and Barcelona, which, between direct and through trains, total more than 1.6 million passengers; Madrid-Seville and Madrid-Málaga, with nearly one million; and Madrid-Alicante and Madrid-Valencia, around 800,000 travelers.
public service
Regarding Avant (Medium Distance High Speed) trains, the main destinations by number of travelers have been the Atocha and Chamartín stations, in Madrid; Toledo, Barcelona and Valladolid, with more than 2.1 million travelers. In conventional Medium Distance they have been Barcelona, Seville, Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña and Girona, with nearly 2.6 million travelers between the five.
However, the number of passengers on the company’s Public Service (conventional Medium Distance and AV, plus Cercanías) has decreased compared to the same period last year due to the end of free Media Distancia and Cercanías services. So, although the number of circulations grew by 5.5%with nearly 20,000 more trips compared to 2024, the number of travelers decreased by 6.2%.
The punctuality of Medium Distance trains, both conventional and High Speed, has stood at 81%. For their part, Cercanías trains have registered 92.5% punctuality.
Fire wave
The wave of fires that devastated the Iberian Peninsula and that was especially aggressive in Galicia, Castilla y León and Extremadura conditioned railway traffic this summer. Renfe’s commercial services were affected by fifty fires that They affected 524 trains and a total of 154,645 passengers.
From August 12 to 20, 186 circulations between Madrid and Galicia were affected by partial or total cutsand from the 14th to the 19th the service was completely suspended. During those days, Renfe scheduled shuttles between Madrid and Zamora.
The cutting of this line affected more than 60,000 travelers and represented a loss of income for Renfe of 3.3 million euroswhile the expense in caring for affected clients was 357,000 euros, most of which was used to pay for hotels and alternative transportation.
In the case of Public Service trains, a total of 106 incidents caused by fires were recorded, with 679 trains and more than 65,000 passengers affected due to fires near the tracks. This has been the main reason why the total number of incidents on conventional Avant and Media Distancia trains has grown slightly compared to the summer of 2024.
The ‘Young Summer’ grows
On the other hand, Renfe has sold more than 4 million tickets for young people between 18 and 30 years old with discounts from the ‘Young Summer’ campaign, which began on July 1 and ended on September 30. This has meant a growth of 1.4 million banknotes (+56.7%) regarding the 2024 edition of this initiative.
This discount campaign launched by the Government contemplated reductions of 90% on Media Distancia tickets and 50% on AVE, Avlo, Alvia, Intercity, Euromed and Avantin addition to a free trip on AVE or LD for every two ‘Young Summer’ tickets purchased, with which the company wants to reward loyalty and improve the travel experience. In addition, a 50% discount has been included in the ‘Interrail Global Pass’ voucher. The company has sold more than 6,000 passes to travel throughout Europe.
