How to Get Hold of a Railcard

"The public transport is amaaaaazing!" - It's one of the first things that you get told about living in Madrid. Everyone raves about how cheap it is to get around the city on the bus or metro and compared to the UK this is definitely true. The cheapest way to get around is by buying a railcard or Tarjeta Transporte Público/Abono Transporte and charging it up every 30 days. This sounds easy enough but remember this is Spain and anything that involves the slightest amount of paperwork can get complicated... Fear not! For I am here to talk you through the process.

When you first arrive in Madrid (we're talking literally the first day or so) you'll want to get a 10 trip bus and metro ticket. You can buy these for around 12 euros at all metro stations from the machines at the entrance. This will tide you over for the first few days while you start your new life in the city. You'll soon want to upgrade to a transport card though as I was getting through 2-3 of these tickets a week.

There are 2 main ways that you can get the card:

• The first is carried out entirely online with forms to fill in and documents to scan and send. You'll also need a permanent address for the new card to be sent to you; this can take a couple of weeks or so.
• The second way is to make a prior appointment (una cita previa) online for a meeting at one of the transport offices in certain stations. This means that at your appointment you'll be given the card then and there.

I chose the second option as I was looking for a flat and knew that my address would soon change. After 2 weeks of paying squillions for the metro (ok slight exaggeration...) I also wanted my card as soon as possible.

You can't make an appointment in person at the station it must be online or by phone. You'll also need to specify what kind of card you're after - as I was under 23 I asked for an Abono Joven. The city's public transport network is split into zones with zone A being the city centre and anything outside of that being zone B1, B2 etc. You'll need to check whereabouts you'll need to be travelling to before you make your appointment so you can specify a zone.

I had trouble with the online form that needed to be filled in to book an appointment so ended up phoning the office and making my appointment that way. Make sure you have your passport number and mobile phone number handy. There is an enormous demand for appointments so be prepared to wait at least a few days and up to a week or more for a slot.

Things to take to your appointment:

• Your passport
• A photocopy of your passport (they refuse to photocopy anything in the office)
• A passport photo (often they will take this for you in the office but it's better to be safe than sorry; the machine could be broken, if it's a smaller office it may not have a machine etc.)
• 4 euros for the card

Once you've been to your appointment and are clutching your newly bought card, you'll want to top it up so you can start using it. Just take it to one of the machines in the station, select the type of card you've got (there are cards for adults, those over 65 and those under 23) and pay in the required amount. An Abono Joven is a little cheaper than an adult card at 35 euros a month. After you've topped it up you need to start using the card within 10 days. The 30 days it lasts for start on the first day that you use your card.

The card is valid on the metro, cercanías lines and buses within the zone that you've specified.

https://www.tarjetatransportepublico.es/CRTM-ABONOS/entrada.aspx