The original AVE line from Madrid Atocha to Seville opened in 1992 for the Expo, covering 471 kilometres in approximately 2 hours 30 minutes. The Madrid to Barcelona corridor (620 km) opened in 2008 and is the busiest high-speed line in Spain, with AVE trains making the journey in 2 hours 30 minutes. Madrid to Valencia takes 1 hour 40 minutes via the Albacete corridor. Madrid to Malaga covers 500 kilometres in just over 2 hours 30 minutes. International AVE services connects Madrid to Lyon and Paris via the Figueres-Vilafant border station although take substantially longer due to gauge issues at the border requiring different wheelsets.
Avlo is RENFE's low-cost high-speed brand launched in 2021, offering heavily discounted seats on AVE infrastructure with stricter luggage rules and no onboard catering. Iryo (the brand of Air Nostrum and ILSA) began competing with RENFE on the Madrid to Barcelona corridor in 2022 as Spain's first private high-speed operator, followed by Ouigo Spain, which also offers low-cost high-speed trains. The introduction of competition has significantly pushed down base AVE fares from their previously very high levels.
Cercanias (commuter trains) operate in the major metropolitan areas of Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Bilbao, Malaga, San Sebastian, Zaragoza, Cadiz, Girona, and Tarragona. The Barcelona Cercanias network, branded Rodalies by the Generalitat de Catalunya, includes eight lines from Barcelona Sants, Passeig de Gracia, and Barcelona Franca serving the regions of Catalonia. Madrid Cercanias has 10 lines from Madrid Atocha and Sol serving commuters across the region.
The Basque Country operates EuskoTren, an independent narrow-gauge network connecting Bilbao, San Sebastian, and Vitoria-Gasteiz with regional trains distinct from RENFE. FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya) operates additional lines in Catalonia not part of the RENFE network. The Mallorcan Tourist Railway on the island of Mallorca is a narrow-gauge heritage network connecting Palma to Sa Pobla and Manacor.