Question about trains from Madrid-to Leon November

Marbe2 said:

Usually, when getting from Madrid to Leon we pick up a high speed train in the late morning Early Fall or Spring) which goes from Chamartin to Leon in circa 2 hrs. Currently, there is no high speed Alvia train going out of Charmartin until around 8pm. Renfe shows no direct high speed trains originating out of Chamartin until night time?

My question is, will there be an Alvia two hour train added, scheduled, in a couple of weeks from now? Or not? Or am I looking at a regular off season train schedule now? Is the construction going on at Chamartin resulting in departures being rerouted away from Chamartin during the day? I already checked with Deutsche Bahn. They suggest additional trains going out in the afternoon taking circa 3.5 hours changing in Palencia, but unable to book? Trainline obviously follows Renfe release schedule. Any Insights appreciated….



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J Willhaus said:

I also see it on Nov. 15.

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Marbe2 said:

This is helpful, Thanks! As we both noted Renfe is running a night high speed train, likely after the workers stop for the day. I suspected that the construction might be close to Chamartin as the place was under significant construction when we were there in the Spring. Improvements and repairs need to happen at some point, so I can understand late November being a time when construction closures becomes more practical.

I will likely purchase a slow train ugh…with the ability, costing an additional €10 euros, to cancel or change ticket at no additional cost. This way, if an additional high speed train opens up, then I can easily make the change.

BTW two couples I know have recently contracted the new strain of Covid on bus trips! My thinking is that the trains will hopefully have better ventilation, and the seats will be further apart. In addition, I get bus sick after a few hours, especially after an all night flight.

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Luka said:

I heard RENFE blocked all booking options from the 7th of November on between Gijón/Oviedo and Madrid. Rumours are that this is because it will be the starting date of the new AVE connection between Asturias and Madrid.

If true, it is worth waiting because RENFE normally gives enormous discounts on the first tickets on new AVE lines. This is quite a spectacular new line, by the way. Straight through the Cantabrian mountainrange, worked on for about 20 years.

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Marbe2 said:

Traveling in late November! Yes, there is an evening train to Leon that arrives in under 2hrs but we are searching for a fast train around 10am to 12pm. They aren’t scheduled, likely because of construction improvements on that route.
See above # 5.
Renfe is not as predictable about when it posts its train schedules as some other countries in the EU. Sometimes they do not not post some fast trains till less than 60 days before departure. (see seat61.com). Mark Smith, the author writes
“

• When does booking open?
  This is a major problem with Renfe. In theory, tickets should go on sale 60 days ahead for all trains other than AVE trains which should open 90 days ahead. In practice, Renfe is a law unto itself and loads what it likes when it likes, in blocks of dates, sometimes as little as 30 days before departure and often loading some trains and not others. If you go online and don't see the complete train service which you're expecting to see and it's over a month before departure, WAIT, as the chances are that all trains are not yet loaded. Renfe is particularly lax in opening bookings for dates after the timetable changes at midnight on the 2nd Saturday in June and 2nd Saturday in December.”

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