Operators Ouigo and Renfe have confirmed to Trenvista that they are compensating passengers who suffered delays or cancellations during the blackout on 28 April and the cable theft and catenary incident the following Monday, 5 May.
At the low-cost operator, passengers on services cancelled due to the blackout can choose between a free ticket exchange or a refund. For those who suffered delays in both episodes, Ouigo has made an individual assessment, in some cases receiving compensation as a commercial gesture from the company.
Despite the worsening of its punctuality commitment, Renfe still offers the best protection. As a general policy, it is the only operator that compensates all its passengers regardless of the reason for delay or cancellation.
For its part, Iryo has only refunded the ticket amount (automatically) to those passengers affected by the blackout who could not be relocated. Regarding the incident on the Madrid-Seville high-speed line, the company replies that, according to the European regulation governing rail passenger rights (2021/782 article 19.10c), if the delay is caused by the behaviour of third parties, including the theft of cables, railway companies are not obliged to compensate.