How do I transfer between stations in Madrid?

Madrid has two main stations: Madrid-Chamartin and Madrid-Puerta de Atocha or just Madrid-Atocha. Some trains stop at both stations, allowing you to disembark where you need to, but some only serve one of the two, meaning you might have to transfer to the other to make your connection. On this page we'll explain how.

There are two types of trains connecting the two stations: Metro line 1 and suburban Cercanias trains. Cercanias trains are quicker and in almost all high-speed train tickets, one journey on Cercanias is included. If you need to buy a seperate ticket you can do this using a ticket machine, for a fare of €1.70.

• Cercanias trains have line numbers. Between the two stations in Madrid you can use lines C1, C2, C4, C7, C8, and C10.
• Cercanias trains run every few minutes. An end-to-end journey will take about 12 minutes; however, we reccommend taking at least 45 minutes to change stations in Madrid to take into account any delays, and the time needed to walk from the regular train platforms to the Cercanias platforms.
• Cercanias platforms use automated ticket gates. If a journey on Cercanias is included in your high-speed ticket, you can scan this ticket to open the gates for you.
  • Eurail passes are valid on all Cercanias trains (not on metro line 1) but will not open the gates. You can ask station staff to open and close the gates for you if you have a Eurail pass (or buy a ticket for €1.70 instead).

The two train stations as indicated on the Cercanias map of Madrid: