Renfe will introduce significant changes to train services through Palencia from August 19, 2026, as infrastructure manager Adif begins a new phase of construction work on the southern rail access to the Spanish city.
The changes will affect long-distance, Media Distancia and Regional services, with replacement buses operating on sections of several routes. Some measures will remain in place until September 21.
Among the most significant changes are those affecting the Santander-Madrid corridor, where Renfe will provide road transport between Santander and Palencia for its Alvia service from August 20.
The operator is also adding 6,950 extra seats on combined train and bus services between Cantabria and Madrid between August 20 and 30.
Santander-Madrid Trains Affected From August 19
On August 19, the replacement bus arrangement will initially affect Alvia 4193, departing Madrid at 19:08 for Santander.
From August 20, Renfe will provide road transport between Santander and Palencia in both directions for the affected Alvia service.
To maintain additional capacity between Cantabria and the Spanish capital, Renfe is offering 6,950 extra seats using combined Intercity train and bus journeys from August 20 to 30.
Depending on the service, passengers will transfer between train and bus at either Burgos or Palencia.
Madrid to Santander Train and Bus Schedule
Four Intercity options will be available from Madrid:
- Intercity 4083: Madrid 08:40 – Santander 13:03, daily except Sundays. Bus transfer from Burgos to Santander.
- Intercity 4093: Madrid 09:25 – Santander 13:39, daily except Sundays. Bus transfer from Burgos to Santander.
- Intercity 4103: Madrid 09:56 – Santander 14:04, daily except Sundays. Bus transfer from Palencia to Santander.
- Intercity 4183: Madrid 17:48 – Santander 22:17, daily. Bus transfer from Burgos to Santander.
Santander to Madrid Train and Bus Schedule
Passengers travelling in the opposite direction will have four Intercity options:
- Intercity 4132: Santander 13:08 – Madrid 17:12, daily except Saturdays. Bus from Santander to Palencia before continuing by train.
- Intercity 4152: Santander 14:46 – Madrid 19:00, daily except Saturdays. Bus from Santander to Burgos.
- Intercity 4262: Santander 15:54 – Madrid 20:23, daily except Saturdays. Bus from Santander to Burgos.
- Intercity 4172: Santander 17:43 – Madrid 22:20, daily except Saturdays. Bus from Santander to Burgos.
Regional and Media Distancia Services Through Palencia Also Change
The construction work will also affect a large number of Regional and Media Distancia trains passing through Palencia.
Some services will depart earlier than usual to accommodate the additional journey time required for replacement buses.
The measures begin on August 19, although the exact dates vary by route and service.
Madrid-León and Madrid-Palencia Services
On the Madrid Príncipe Pío-León route, MD 18003 and MD 18005 will use replacement buses between Venta de Baños and León on August 19.
From August 20 to September 20, the road section for these services will instead operate between Venta de Baños and Paredes de Nava.
In the opposite direction, MD 18002 and MD 18006 will use buses between Paredes de Nava and Venta de Baños from August 20 to September 20.
Madrid-Palencia
MD 18007, departing Madrid at 20:25, will use a replacement bus between Venta de Baños and Palencia from August 19 to September 20.
MD 18066, departing Palencia at 05:27 for Madrid, will use road transport between Palencia and Venta de Baños from August 20 to September 21.
Palencia-León and Valladolid-Palencia Services
Regional services RE 18215 from Palencia to León and RE 18214 from León to Palencia will use buses between Palencia and Paredes de Nava from August 20 to 30.
Several Valladolid-Palencia services will also be affected between August 20 and September 20, with buses replacing trains between Venta de Baños and Palencia.
The affected trains are:
- R 18211 Valladolid 12:25 – Palencia
- R 18219 Valladolid 19:34 – Palencia
- R 18217 Valladolid 14:10 – Palencia
- R 18212 Palencia 16:15 – Valladolid
- R 18216 Palencia 06:45 – Valladolid
Palencia-Salamanca and Other Regional Routes Affected
Media Distancia services between Palencia and Salamanca will use buses between Palencia and Venta de Baños from August 20 to September 20.
This applies to MD 18308 from Palencia at 13:06 and MD 18306 from Salamanca at 14:00.
Other affected routes include Valladolid-Gijón, León-Valladolid, Ponferrada-Valladolid and Palencia-Medina del Campo.
Valladolid-Gijón
R 12101, departing Valladolid at 06:25 for Gijón, will use road transport between Valladolid and Paredes de Nava from August 20 to September 21.
R 12100 from Gijón at 14:18 will use buses between Paredes de Nava and Valladolid from September 1 to 20.
León and Ponferrada to Valladolid
RE 12602 from León to Valladolid will use replacement buses between Paredes de Nava and Valladolid from August 20 to 31.
The RE 12602 service from Ponferrada to Valladolid will have the same replacement bus section from August 20 to September 20.
The R 18218 Palencia-Medina del Campo service will also operate by bus between Palencia and Venta de Baños from August 20 to September 20.
Valladolid-Santander Regional Trains Face Major Changes
Some of the most extensive alterations apply to Regional services between Valladolid and Santander.
Several trains will operate entirely by bus during parts of August before switching to partial rail replacement services later in the construction period.
Affected services include:
- RE 18101 Valladolid-Santander: Entire journey by bus from August 20-30; bus replacement between Valladolid and Osorno from August 31 to September 21.
- RE 18105 Valladolid-Santander: Entire journey by bus from August 20-30.
- RE 18105 Valladolid-Santander: From August 31 to September 20, bus replacement between Valladolid and Frómista, with departure at 17:50.
- RE 18701 Valladolid-Santander: Entire journey by bus from August 22-30.
- RE 18100 Santander-Valladolid: Entire journey by bus from August 22-30.
- RE 18102 Santander-Valladolid: Entire journey by bus from August 20-28; bus replacement between Osorno and Valladolid from August 31 to September 21.
- RE 18104 Santander-Valladolid: Entire journey by bus from August 20-30; bus replacement between Frómista and Valladolid from August 31 to September 20.
- RE 18700 Santander-Valladolid: Entire journey by bus from August 22-30.
Passengers Advised to Check Renfe Timetables Before Travel
With different restrictions applying to individual trains and dates, Renfe is advising passengers travelling through Palencia to check their scheduled departure time and journey arrangements before travelling.
The disruption is linked to the latest phase of Adif’s work on the southern rail access to Palencia, requiring sections of the network to be temporarily replaced by road transport.
The largest set of changes begins on August 20, while some replacement bus arrangements will remain in place until September 21, 2026.
