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Hi there,

It’s the 1st of July and it looks like Renfe just completed its schedule for August at renfe.com.

Some trains of our trip seem available (at least for regular -expensive- tickets, guess we’ll have to wait and see if there’ll be any seats left for Interrailers...), but Granada-Madrid simply changed from ‘not available yet’ to half ‘not available yet’ / half sold out (‘tren completo’), even for regular tickets...

... just like that, for ALL trains and for the WHOLE month of August!
Same at the trainline.com, raileurope and omio… 

How is this even possible? All pre-reservations? Does anyone have a clue?
 

Gr-Mad only got 2 or 3 direct AVE trenes last yr-when they finished the normal gauge hi-speed track to Gran itself (single track only). It is very common to use a bus to Cordoba (you  pay) and then use the hourly AVE (coming off Sevilla or Malaga) onward. (stayed there a few monthes ago)

There also was/is 1 directo to Barcelona, combining in Cordoba with a set from Malaga.

RENFE has the last yrs often much reduced the summer schedule-as the ESpanoles themselves use the trenes much less to Mad. RENFE has no special quota for passholders-different from SNCF, so your theory does not quite hold. Also most people do not sweat that much and are so anxious to REServe monthes ahead-a week is already a long time for most.
yes, in ESpana you always have to be inventive and think of a plan B.


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