Is the C1 Train from Madrid Airport T4 to Atocha Station running?

Not bad...a free ride along the beautiful Paseo del Prado.

I note the schedule for the Cercanias is only available to 5 September 2016 (or 30 days in advance). Try again next week.

If the service isn't available on your date of travel (due to the construction peregrina posted about) try either:

a. Madrid Metro to Renfe Atocha; or,
https://www.metromadrid.es/en/

b. EMT Madrid bus #203 Aeropuerto express from all terminals to Puerta de Atocha.
http://www.emtmadrid.es/Aeropuerto?lang=es-ES

peregrina2000 said:

Hi, Sam,

Welcome to the forum!

There is a notice on the RENFE/Cercanias web page. Since they are doing work at Recoletos, which is a station near Atocha, you will have to get off at Recoletos and take a free bus to Atocha. This will add a bit more time, so I hope you're not crunched. It will run every 6 minuteson week day rush hour, up to every twelve minutes at other times. The silver lining here is that they hope the repairs will be done by September 4, so you may not have to worry about this at all.

Here's the link if you read Spanish: http://www.renfe.com/viajeros/cercanias/madrid/index.html

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SamR said:

I have train reservations from Atocha station to Pamplona on Sept 8 and will need to get to the Atocha station from the airport. I have seen several references to a C1 commuter train from the T4 terminal but when I search for the route on http://www.renfe.com/EN/viajeros/cercanias/madrid/index.html (Departure: Aeropuerto-T4, Destination: Atocha) , it says there are no services between these points?? Does anyone have recent, first-hand knowledge that they can share about this commuter rail trip?

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I used the RENFE shuttle to get to ATOCHA from Barajas for an onward AVE connection to Sevilla a couple of months ago and do not recommend it. There is construction and a need to shift to a bus for part of the route, not great during a Madrid rush hour! The trip was slow, required time consuming waits and was more than a bit confusing in my jet lagged state. I should have known better, for there is a really good direct bus service from all terminals at Barajas to ATOCHA which costs about 5 Euros - it runs frequently and makes only a few stops between the airport and the train station. (The bus service is also great when staying in central Madrid).

But my suggestion would be to cancel the RENFE reservation and instead take a bus directly from Barajas to Pamplona. While it is a little less comfortable, the bus service is faster, cheaper and does not require the trip into central Madrid as the bus leaves directly from Terminal 4. There is sometimes a ticket agent and otherwise a machine from which tickets can be purchased at the bus loading ramp at Termial 4. Advance bus reservations can be made at alsa.es . The bus service sometimes requires a change of busses at Zaragoza, but several trips have proven that transfer to be quick and easy. A secondary benefit - the bus station in Pamplona is near the town center and the route of the Camino while the RENFE station is some distance out.

eopederson said:

But my suggestion would be to cancel the RENFE reservation and instead take a bus directly from Barajas to Pamplona. While it is a little less comfortable, the bus service is faster, cheaper and does not require the trip into central Madrid as the bus leaves directly from Terminal 4. There is sometimes a ticket agent and otherwise a machine from which tickets can be purchased at the bus loading ramp at Termial 4. Advance bus reservations can be made at alsa.es . The bus service sometimes requires a change of busses at Zaragoza, but several trips have proven that transfer to be quick and easy. A secondary benefit - the bus station in Pamplona is near the town center and the route of the Camino while the RENFE station is some distance out.

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Actually ... the bus goes from Intercambiador de Avenida de America.

Two service providers. PLM Autocares and ALSA. ALSA has a transfer point at Soria or Zaragosa.

Some ... but not all ... buses make a stop or actually originate at Madrid T4. Which is not of much use if your schedule doesn't coincide or if your plane arrives at a different terminal (at which point you need to compare #200 with airport shuttle for time).

#200 EMT Madrid bus from Airport (stops at several points at the airport) to terminate at Avenida de America.