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Madrid Chamartin-Clara Campoamor (Madrid)
This guide to Madrid Chamartin station explains what to look out for when using the station to arrive and depart in Madrid by train.
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Madrid Chamartin-Clara Campoamor is currently in the midst of a massive reconstruction project, which is compromising both the facilities which are available and the access to and from the trains.
SMTJ's recommendation is to aim to be at the station a minimum of 20 mins prior to departure, because:
- the routes into the station can be less obvious and longer;
- many of the vias (tracks / platforms) are now up to a 3 - 5 min walk away from the main concourse.
The work will ultimately:
- more than double the number of the vias (platforms / tracks) which can be used by high speed train services;
- facilitate the use of the Interconnector Tunnel, which will enable the majority of the high-speed train services to / from Madrid, to depart from both Chamartin and Atocha stations;
- streamline the access to/from the high-speed trains.
The current situation at Chamartin station
Pre-boarding luggage, security and ticket checks for the high-speed AVE trains have been introduced at Spanish stations, since the current version of Chamartin station opened its doors in the 1970s.
For many years this had compromised the boarding procedures at Chamartin station - Queues to access luggage screening facilties used to snake-up escalators, which had to be switched out of use.
Hence the following temporary changes are in place:
- The pre-boarding checks have been moved to the main concourse, so the majority of its facilities have had to be closed down or moved; One significant change is that the ticket office is now outside the concourse; and is much smaller.
- The station concourse screening area is in two parts (1) all travellers enter through a ticket check, and (2) there are further checks at the access points to the vias (tracks / platforms).
- Both the catering outlets and amount of seats, waiting rooms etc, in what is now a pre-boarding area, are comparatively minimal - So if you won't be travelling with tickets that enable access to the First Class Lounge , it's best not to enter this boarding area more than 30 mins prior to departure.
- It seems as though temporary sloping walkways, some of which are in the open-air, have replaced escalators and elevators as the means of providing step-free access between the concourse and the vias (tracks / platforms).
- Some of the the vias (tracks / platforms) used by the AVE long-distance trains, currently have their access points at the far ends of other vias - If you reserved seat is in the front coaches of a train using one of these vias, it will be a five minute walk away from the concourse.
Good to know:
Four Things Worth Knowing About Madrid Chamartin rail station:
1: One important facility which isn’t housed in the main concourse at Chamartin is the Consignia (left luggage) office.
It’s housed in a separate building across the street.
Use the exit from the main concourse which is opposite vias 16 and 17.
2: Chamartin station is located particularly far from Madrid city centre.
It's around 2km north of the heart of Madrid - the Puerta del Sol city square.
So taking a Cercanias or Metro train to/from Madrid Chamartin can be a big money saver compared to taking taxis.
3: Madrid Chamartin is the station you usually need to head to if you will heading north from the Spanish capital by train.
Though some of the Altaria and non-high speed trains to destinations south of Madrid commence their journeys at Chamartin before calling at Atocha.
Also some Alvia train services between north Spain and south-east Spain call at Chamartin before going on to call at Atocha.
So unless you happen to be commencing a journey in the area around Chamartin, you'll have a quicker end-to-end journey if you head to Atocha to join these trains.
Hence the information on this Chamartin station guide doesn't include these trains.
4: When looking at the Madrid metro map ‘Pinar-Charmatin’ station is not the metro stop at Chamartin train station.
Instead you’re looking for the ‘Chamartin’ stop to the left of it – the white circle served by line 1 and line 10.
Arriving at Chamartin by Cercanias or Metro trains:
When heading to Chamartin from central Madrid and Atocha station by the local Cercanias trains, try to board at the rear of the trains – the exits up to the concourse at Chamartin is behind the trains.
On the Cercannias platforms/tracks (vias) at Chamartin, there are escalators up to the concourse, which is where the exits and all other trains can be accessed from.
Behind the escalators are somewhat hidden lifts/elevators that can also take you up to the concourse.
If you will be connecting into an Avant, AVE or Alvia train heading north from Chamartin, when you reach the concourse turn to the left – these trains depart from the opposite half of the concourse.
In the middle of the concourse, if you face towards the trains, you will see the main departure screen, but other departure screens are scattered around the concourse.
Arriving by Metro at Chamartin station:
If you will be arriving by Metro and connecting to other trains, the exit from the metro is on the very far side of the concourse
Once you’re on the concourse simply walk ahead of you - the area of the station that the Avant, AVE or Alvia trains depart from is at the opposite end of the concourse.
Heading to Barajas airport from Chamartin
Cercanias trains on line C1 and C10 connect Chamartin station to Barajas airport in 15 mins.
These trains will also have called at Atocha, as well as at Nuevos Ministerios and Recoletos stations in the city centre, so you don’t have to head for Chamartin in order to take the train to the airport.
These lines C1 and C10 trains heading to the Aeropuerto – T4 station will USUALLY depart from via (platform/track) 11 at Charmatin – so wait by the entrance to via 11 for the departure details to be confirmed.
Note that not all of the Cercanias trains, that depart from via 11 will be line C-1 and C-10 trains heading to the Aeropuerto - so check the departure indicators and info on the trains.
There are 4 x trains per hour during the day, but there can be gaps of up to 20 mins between departures
These line C1 and C10 trains call at a station that’s directly linked to Terminal 4 (the main terminal) of Barajas Airport
If your flight is departing from Terminals 1 or 2 – the best option is take the Cercanias train to T4 and then transfer to the metro for a two station hop on to its T1/T2 station.
Journeys
# Jump to a directionJourneys from Madrid Chamartin-Clara Campoamor
Jump to directionsMadrid to Alacant / Alicante by train
Madrid to Barcelona by train
Madrid to Bilbao by train
Madrid to Burgos by train
Madrid to León by train
Madrid to Murcia by train
Madrid to Salamanca by train
Madrid to San Sebastian/Donostia by train
Madrid to Santiago de Compostela by train
Madrid to Segovia by train
Madrid to Tarragona by train
Madrid to Valencia by train
Madrid to Zaragoza by train
Journeys to Madrid Chamartin-Clara Campoamor
Jump to directionsBarcelona to Madrid by train
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