Ouigo Cancels 15,000 Train Seats Between Madrid, Málaga, and Sevilla

An unpleasant surprise for thousands of travelers at the start of the year. The high-speed company Ouigo has removed 15,000 train seats between Madrid and Andalucía citing "operational reasons". As a result, the company has canceled a large part of its services scheduled in the southern corridor from January 9 to 22, reducing eight daily services from Friday to Monday on the Madrid-Sevilla and Madrid-Málaga routes, and six daily services from Tuesday to Thursday on the mentioned journeys.

"At Ouigo we maintain a strong commitment to service quality and deeply regret any inconvenience this situation may have caused our travelers," sources from the company indicated, highlighting that this measure, already communicated to those affected, seeks to ensure quality in service provision. Those affected by this measure can choose to change their ticket free of charge or cancel it, receiving a refund of the price they paid plus compensation varying between 50% and 200% of its value.

Meanwhile, Renfe has activated special services in the Southern Corridor to assist travelers affected by the cancellations and suspensions carried out by Ouigo, according to a statement from the company. In this way, the firm will enable two special services between Madrid and Sevilla with AVLO trains "at reduced prices" starting from seven euros from this Friday. The first of these is scheduled to depart at 12:00 from the capital, while the second will leave from Sevilla at 17:17.

The company has stated that, depending on demand, it will enhance the capacity of its trains on this corridor and will also schedule additional special services to attend to those affected by the cancellations on the Madrid-Málaga route in both directions.

Furthermore, the operator reminds that regulations stipulate that if a solution is not offered to travelers within 100 minutes after the scheduled departure time, "they themselves can seek an alternative public transport, such as Renfe, and the company must refund the cost of the ticket they had to purchase."