Madrid-Puerta de Atocha-Almudena Grandes — Local services in Madrid

I would choose no star if such option exists!

This train station has the worst service on this planet! We arrived at this station 30 mins before train departure time. The train station has a horrible information system, we were not able to find the departure entrance for our train. We asked staff who worked there, the guy on the ground floor asked us to go upstairs, when we ran upstairs, the woman at the departure place who checks the ticket asked us to go downstairs. When we were at downstairs, we were asked to go upstairs. So basically you can imagine how frustrated and desperate we were running up and down for 4 times. We were unable to find our departure entrance in this train station!!! How could that even happen? We were running upstairs and downstairs for 30 mins in this huge train station until our train was gone.

We paid €225.55 for our train tickets to Sevilla for two of us. The old Spanish woman who works in the information desk for Refa was very rude, she told us to go away and pay for new tickets again when we had no other option because our train left due to the staff’s unprofessionalism and negligence! We were given the wrong direction again and again which is highly unacceptable!

The Atocha train station was such a joke, the train station has a tropical botanic gardens inside. But what is the point if the customers are not provided with sufficient information to get on their trains? They probably want their customers to miss the trains deliberately so they can make more money!

The old woman who works at the information desk doesn’t speak English, but she has no issue at yelling out “new tickets”! What an awful experience of dealing with this train station!

It is the train station’s fault for our missing the train. Why we have to lose €225.55 for their mistakes?

Customer service in Atocha doesn’t exist! If you don’t speak Spanish, it is better to avoid this train station.

We paid another €169 for new...

First time arriving at this station from Barcelona-Sants. There are no direct international trains that you can take to get to Madrid so you need to arrive at Barcelona-Sants first if you're coming from Paris (in my case). A pretty good and busy station in terms of navigation although support staff was basically non-existent at the end of July but I managed to navigate my way through the station without needing to ask for help. You just need to follow the passenger flow and signage. I felt like I had stepped into an oven getting off my train at the platform but guess this part of the station is not air conditioned but then neither is majority of the station so prepare yourself if you're travelling here at the end of July. Departure area has air conditioning in some parts such as the seated waiting area. Overall, majority of the station isn't air conditioned. I didn't come across station Wi-Fi but some of the eateries have it and it can be patchy but you need to find the best spot to get a good connection. Lots of food options and whilst it isn't the cheapest or the best options there is something that should take your fancy if you weren't able to buy food or eat ahead of arriving at the station. Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are also served. Number of cafes are on site too. Use of the bathroom will cost you EUR1.00 and it is quite busy but clean and slightly cramped when you have a suitcase. Vending machines are also dotted around the terminal and accept most international credit cards if you don't have euros. Note that you can only enter the departure area 90 minutes before your train departs and the platform will be confirmed about 20 mins before departure. There seemed to be separate departure areas based on the train company that you booked your ticket with. Both my trains (to and from Barcelona-Sants) ran to schedule and I experienced no delays. Great location as it is in the...

As others have mentioned, this train station is a disaster and there is hardly anyone to ask questions.

Announcements for trains are few and far between.

Here are some TIPS TO HELP:

-Buy your tickets in advance online, their website sucks but in person is worse. However, if you don't trust yourself not to be late, buy them when you get there (but give yourself 1.5 hours for this and security check of luggage). -If the website is giving you greif, try logging in on an incognito window, for some reason that helps. If not, try back during an off hour, their website can't handle too much traffic. -FREE bathrooms are located by train platforms once you get through security. Otherwise, they will cost you 1 euro on the other side. -You scan your luggage on Level 2 before you go to the train platforms. This area can get backed up, allow 20-30 min. Just for that. -once you go through with your luggage, the patforms are numbered at the top of the wall, and there are TV's that will list your train and platform (Via) #. Check this often. DO NOT RELY ON ANNOUNCEMENTS. -They change train platforms often and people start lining up to have tickets scanned as soon as they are announced (20-30m before departure), -If your train car is a higher number, you will want to give more time, as you'll walk farther down the track and these long distance trains are laaaaarge. -There are some food and snack shops on the other side of the luggage security check area. -If you have to buy tickets, there is a travel agency on level 1 that can help that is located theough the sliding glass doors. They were helpful, but the main Renfe office is located across from the gardens...