Renfe has launched its summer 2026 Superprecios campaign, offering promotional fares from 7 euros on Avlo services and from 15 euros on AVE and other long-distance trains, intensifying the ongoing price war with private operators Ouigo and Iryo.
Tickets marked with the Superprecios label are available for purchase between 27 May and 4 June 2026, covering travel from 22 June to 13 September 2026 across AVE, Avlo, Alvia, Euromed, Intercity and AVE Internacional services.
Specific routes highlighted by Renfe include Madrid to Valencia, Madrid to Zaragoza, Pamplona, Logroño and Burgos, with the cheapest fares concentrated on selected seats and less busy time slots. The key to securing the lowest prices is acting quickly within the promotional booking window, as tickets are offered on a first-come, first-served basis until availability runs out.
Passengers who book a Básico ticket have the option to upgrade to the Elige fare for an additional 3 euros, which provides greater flexibility including the possibility to make changes and cancellations at reduced cost. On international services to France, travellers can access Comfort seating by paying a 6-euro supplement on top of the base fare.
The Superprecios campaign is a recurring commercial strategy for Renfe. A similar promotion ran in January 2026, also offering fares from 7 euros on Avlo and from 15 euros on AVE and long-distance services, targeting early-year travel planning with a short booking window.
The summer campaign comes amid a broader competitive transformation in Spain’s rail market. The first phase of Spain’s rail liberalisation, which began in 2020, saw framework agreements signed with Renfe and new entrants Ouigo and Iryo, who launched high-speed services on the Madrid to Barcelona, Madrid to Valencia, and Madrid to Seville and Malaga corridors. Seat availability on the Madrid to Barcelona route grew by nearly 65 percent between 2019 and 2024, while the Madrid to Valencia route saw capacity more than double.
Iryo‘s arrival made Spain the first country in Europe with three competing high-speed rail operators, and increased competition has driven prices down across all three companies. Ouigo, the low-cost subsidiary of French national railway SNCF, operates on routes including Madrid to Barcelona, Madrid to Valencia, Madrid to Alicante, Madrid to Seville and Madrid to Malaga. Iryo, a joint venture between Italy’s Trenitalia and Spanish airline Air Nostrum, runs the Italian-designed Frecciarossa 1000 on comparable corridors and positions itself as a full-service competitor with multiple classes and onboard catering.
Both Ouigo and Iryo have filed complaints with Spain’s National Commission on Markets and Competition (CNMC), arguing that Renfe‘s fleet of Talgo variable-gauge trains gives it a structural advantage on routes that combine standard-gauge high-speed track with sections of the conventional Iberian-gauge network. Neither Ouigo nor Iryo currently has access to comparable rolling stock.
Despite these disputes, low fares remain the dominant competitive tool across the sector. Renfe‘s latest Superprecios push signals that discounted pricing has become a permanent feature of its commercial strategy rather than an occasional gesture, as the state-owned operator works to defend its market share on Spain’s busiest corridors during the peak summer travel period.
