Overview
- Lawmakers approved the Sustainable Mobility Law with an amendment ordering a return to Renfe’s earlier punctuality and compensation criteria.
- The change reverts thresholds from the current 60 minutes for 50% and 90 minutes for 100% refunds to the prior 15 and 30 minutes, respectively.
- Transport Ministry sources labeled the move demagogic and warned it would disadvantage the public operator against Ouigo and Iryo.
- Renfe argues the stricter refunds should apply to all operators and cites a €42 million cost from delay payouts in 2023 under the old policy.
- The law’s passage is presented as key to unlocking €10 billion in EU funds, though officials note enforcement is uncertain in a multi-operator market and even recorded a mistaken yes vote by Finance Minister María Jesús Montero.