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Travel On Train AVE trains: An Overview
AVE 103 trains at Madrid Atocha

AVE trains: An Overview

As there are now multiple types of AVE trains operating within and to/from Spain, this overview explains what the differences are; and what they have in common.

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At a Glance

Travel Pass Supplement

Rail Pass Reservation Fees
Reservations

Compulsory
Time of Day

Day
Catering

Food services available

Bistro (bar food and take away meals)
Accessibility

Accessing the train

Wheelchair Spaces
Train Specification

Attributes of the train

High Speed (total journey)
Has a Conductor
Country

Which country these trains operate in.

Spain
Travel Passes
Eurail
InterRail

The trains used for AVE services are Spanish high speed trains operated by Renfe, the national rail company in Spain.
Note that there are now five types of train used for AVE services - more info below on each of these.

They travel up to 320 km/h on multiple high speed lines at Spain - which puts them at joint No.1 on a list of Europe's fastest trains

Two things set the AVE services apart from the other services which use the Spanish high speed speed lines:

1: Aside from the relatively short sections of route, which link some stations to the high speed route, the AVE services spend the entire length of their journeys travelling on the high speed lines;
So they don't branch off and switch to the 'classic' older lines in order to reach destinations beyond the high speed lines, or away from a high-speed route.

2: Unlike the Avant services, which also only use the high-speed lines, the AVE services are larga-distancia services, so they either;

  • travel between Madrid and destinations in north, east and south Spain,
  • travel between north and east Spain on a route which crosses Madrid.
  • travel between south and east Spain on a route which passes close by Madrid.
A Talgo Avril train at Madrid Chamartin The latest type of train used for AVE services, the Talgo Avril
An AVE 103 train in Zargoza The 103 trains are from the same family as trains used in Germany and for Eurostar services to London
An AVE 102 train in Malaga Made in Spain, these 102 / 112 trains are fondly known as Ducks for obvious reasons
An Alvia train in Sevilla Thanks to gaps being closed in the high speed network, these trains are being used for AVE departures
Boarding AVE trains in Valencia Boarding AVE trains at Valencia Joaquin-Sorolla station
An AVE 100 train in Sevilla The oldest type of train used for AVE service, the AVE 100

Travel summary:

The seven things worth knowing when travelling by any AVE service

(1) When boarding an AVE you must sit in the reserved seat(s) which will be specified on your ticket(s).

(2) The luggage allowance is a maximum of up to three pieces per person with a maximum total weight of 25kg (you must be capable of transporting your luggage)

(3) Non folding bikes which haven't been disassembled and cased can't be taken on board AVE services.

(4) The trains used for AVE services don’t convey restaurant cars, they only have bar/bistro cars

**(5) On Monday to Fridays (and Sundays) a Premium Class is available when booking tickets to travel on AVE trains, the seating is the same as 1st/Confort class, but Premium Class includes a complimentary meal - similar to that served in Premium class on airlines.

(6) AVE services are one of only two Spanish train services on which Premium Class tickets can be booked, despite Premium Class tickets also having specific terms and conditions.

The different types of train used for AVE services

When booking tickets to travel by AVE trains, it isn't possible to ascertain which specific type of train are being used for a departure.
Which is a pity as the on-board ambience differs significantly between the types of train.
So the notes below can only be a guide, particularly as the types of train being used per route is due to be changed over the coming years.

On the routes summary below, the notes such as 'few departures' and 'most departures' are referring to the AVE departures only.
Other types of train are also used on many of these routes.

The AVE 100 trains

AVE trains in Seville Awaiting departure from Sevilla Santa Justa to Madrid

The SMTJ guide to travelling by these trains.

Routes

  • Madrid ↔ Cordoba - Sevilla (most departures)
  • Madrid ↔ Albacete - Alicante (perhaps still a few departures)
  • Barcelona - Girona ↔ Perpignan - Narbonne - Montpellier - Nimes - Valence TGV - Lyon
  • Madrid - Zaragoza - Barcelona - Girona ↔ Perpignan - Narbonne - Montpellier - Nimes - Avignon TGV - Marseille
    These trains aren't typically scheduled to be used for any other high-speed service on the Madrid - Zaragoza - Barcelona - Girona route

The AVE 103 trains

An AVE 103 train has arrived in Madrid An AVE 103 train has arrived at Madrid-Atocha, the '75' branding has since been removed

The SMTJ guide to travelling by these trains.

Route
These trains are only used on the Madrid - Zaragoza - Barcelona - Girona - Figueres route
They tend to be used for the faster departures so if you take a non-stop Renfe train between Madrid and Barcelona, you will be likely travelling on this type of train.

The AVE 112 trains

An AVE train in Malaga An AVE 112 train awaits departure from Malaga-Maria Zambrano station

The SMTJ guide to travelling by these trains.

A significant feature of these trains is that most of the seats in both the 1st and 2nd class seating saloons are airline style and close to all of them can be rotated before the start of each journey, so that they face forwards.
So these trains have a higher percentage of forward facing seats than the other trains used for AVE services, but fewer table seats.

Routes

  • Madrid ↔ Cordoba - Malaga (most departures)
  • Madrid ↔ Albacete - Alicante (most departures; the trains which don't travel beyond Madrid)
  • Madrid ↔ Albacete - Murcia (all departures)
  • Madrid ↔ Valencia - Castellon de la Plana (most departures; the trains which don't travel beyond Madrid)
  • Malaga / Seville - Cordoba ↔ Zaragoza - Barcelona
  • Madrid - Zaragoza - Barcelona - Girona - Figueres (some departures)
  • Valencia - Madrid - Valladolid - Leon - Oviedo - Gijon (perhaps some departures)
  • Alicante - Albacete - Madrid - Valladolid - Leon - Oviedo - Gijon (perhaps some departures)

The 730 (Alvila) trains

These trains used to be designated as Alvia as they used to connect Madrid with destinations in north-west Spain prior to the completion of the high speed line between Zamora and Ourense.
Now that the high speed line has been opened, along with lines to Gijon and Burgos, they have been partially designated as AVE trains, as they don't now need to leave the high-speed lines when taking these routes.

The SMTJ guide to travelling by these trains (when used on Alvia services)

Some departures on all of these routes:

  • Madrid - Zamora - Ourense - Santiago de Compostela - A Coruna
  • Madrid - Zamora - Ourense - Santiago de Compostela - Pontevedra - Vigo
  • Madrid - Valladolid - Leon - Oviedo - Gijon
  • Valencia - Madrid - Valladolid - Leon - Oviedo - Gijon
  • Madrid - Vallodolid - Burgos (the trains which don't travel beyond Burgos)

The Talgo Avril trains

A Talgo AVRIL service at Madrid Chamartin A Talgo AVRIL service at Madrid Chamartin

The SMTJ guide to travelling by these trains.

Note that these trains are radically different to the other trains used for AVE services, they have 3+2 seating across the aisle in Estander / 2nd class and 2+2 seating across the aisle in Confort / 1st class,

Routes:

  • Madrid - Zamora - Ourense - Santiago de Compostela - A Coruna (some departures)
  • Madrid - Zamora - Ourense - Santiago de Compostela - Pontevedra - Vigo (some departures)
  • Madrid - Valladolid - Leon - Oviedo - Gijon (possibly all departures)
  • Castellon de la Plana - Valencia - Madrid - Valladolid - Leon - Oviedo - Gijon (possibly all departures)
  • Alicante - Albacete - Madrid - Valladolid - Leon - Oviedo - Gijon (possibly all departures)
  • Madrid - Vallodolid - Burgos (the trains which don't travel beyond Burgos) (some departures)

Note that a few departures on the Madrid ↔ Alicante and Madrid ↔ Valencia - Castellon de la Plana routes are by these trains.

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