The European Consumer Centre in Spain (ECC-Spain) recalls that people who may be affected by delays of at least 60 minutes or cancellations on their train journeys have the right to choose between reimbursement or alternative transport.
Right to reimbursement. The passenger has the right to reimbursement of the ticket price in full or for the part of the journey that has not been completed and for the part that has already been completed if this alone is of no interest to the passenger according to his original travel plan. The passenger has the right to be transferred to his initial point of departure at the first available opportunity.
Right to alternative transport. The passenger has the right to be transferred by alternative transport to the final destination at the first available opportunity or at a later date, at the passenger's choice, under conditions comparable to the initial conditions. One hundred minutes after the delay, cancellation or missed connection, the passenger shall be offered alternative transport. Otherwise, the passenger has the right to find an alternative means of transport at his own expense and to reimbursement of the corresponding costs.
Similarly, in the event of a delay in departure or arrival at destination of at least 60 minutes or cancellation of a service, passengers are also entitled to free assistance.
Right to assistance
- Real-time delay information.
- Information on how to request proof of delay, missed connection due to delay or cancellation.
- Food and drink to an extent appropriate to the waiting time provided that it can be reasonably provided.
- Accommodation and transport between the railway station and the place of accommodation in cases requiring a stay of one or more nights, where physically possible. The railway undertaking may limit the duration of accommodation to a maximum of three nights. In these cases, ECC-Spain recommends requesting assistance from the railway company at the station, before the traveller books accommodation on his/her own.
In addition, ECC-Spain recalls that passengers who have decided to continue with the initial journey are entitled to compensation.
Compensation. Passengers who have suffered delays of between 60 and 119 minutes in relation to the scheduled arrival time shall be compensated with 25% of the ticket price. In the case of delays of at least 120 minutes, the compensation will be 50%. However, it should be noted that amounts of less than four euros per ticket will not be compensated. In any case, the compensation shall be paid within a maximum of 1 month from the submission of the claim. The compensation may be paid in the form of vouchers or other services if the conditions of the contract are flexible and the compensation shall be paid in cash at the request of the passenger.