The price war in the Spanish high speed could add in the coming months an unprecedented formula so far in the country. The possibility of selling cheaper tickets without assigned seats is being considered, which would allow passengers to travel standing or occupying free seats on some AVE and Long Distance trains. The idea has been put on the table by the Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, who assures that Renfe is “very much in favor” of testing this system on short journeys to increase occupancy and make ticket prices even cheaper.
In an interview on Cadena SER’sHora Veinticinco program, Puente explained that in much of Europe it is common to sell tickets without a seat, so that the passenger can board the train with the right to travel, but does not have a guaranteed reservable seat.
According to the minister, this would help to fill trains that today leave with gaps due to the so-called “ghost reservations”: tickets purchased with season tickets or promotional fares whose holders then do not use the trip.
But the proposal also opens up several unknowns that the ministry itself recognizes would have to be studied. Among them is safety and insurance, since it would be necessary to adapt the mandatory passenger insurance coverage and protocols in case of braking, incidents or evacuations with standing passengers.
Of course, there is also comfort: many users and consumer associations warn that it can be “cheaper at the cost of worsening the travel experience”, especially in trains where there is already a strong pressure of luggage and passengers. And finally, it should be specified that it is a “short journey”. The minister speaks of not very long journeys, but in practice it is not clear whether we are talking about 30 minutes, an hour or more, something that directly influences social acceptance.
Puente argues that Spain is an exception in Europe because it makes it compulsory to assign seats even on high-speed services, while in countries like Germany or Italy it is possible to travel without a reservation and sit only if there are free seats.
In models such as the German one, the ticket entitles the passenger to board the train and the seat is only guaranteed if a reservation supplement is paid; otherwise, the passenger has to look for a space or travel standing up in corridors or spaces between cars, something that is only allowed here today in Cercanías. The Minister’s intention is to adapt part of this scheme to the Spanish reality, without eliminating the guaranteed seat option for those who want to pay for it.
When could it arrive in Spain?
At the moment there is no date or concrete lines announced. Transport speaks of an idea under study, not of a change already approved. For the new modality to reach the trains, the conditions of transport and insurance would have to be modified; the railway regulations would have to be adjusted, which today require assigned seats on AVE, Larga Distancia and a good part of the Media Distancia, and it would have to be clearly defined which corridors and time slots would be able to test the pilot system.
What is clear is the context: with ticket campaigns starting at 7 euros and several operators competing on a downward trend, the pressure to find new ways to lower prices without sinking revenues even further is enormous. The proposal to sell tickets without seats aims to be the new twist on this model. A hybrid between the comfortable AVE and the extreme low cost, in which the passenger chooses whether to travel seated… or pay less in exchange for giving up the reservation.