Key data
| Regulation | Resolution of April 16, 2026, Joint Commission for Relations with the Court of Auditors |
|---|---|
| Publication | June 9, 2026 |
| Entry into force | Not specified |
| Affected parties | Renfe Viajeros, central Government, Autonomous Communities with transferred railway services, users of free passes |
| Category | Public Sector |
| Audited period | Third quarter of 2022 and fiscal year 2023 |
| Audited amount | ~€48 million in deposits from No-Cash Cards not returned |
| Affected IT systems | SIVER, VISIR, VBK, VNV |
The Joint Commission for Relations with the Court of Auditors approved, on April 16, 2026, the conclusions of the audit report on how Renfe Viajeros managed free railway transport subsidies during the third quarter of 2022 and fiscal year 2023. The result is devastating: systemic failures in internal controls, contractual irregularities, and a gap of approximately €48 million in deposits pending audit.
For any public company executive, public funds manager, or compliance officer in the transport sector, this resolution marks a turning point in the requirements for transparency and accountability regarding free train ticket subsidies.
What does this regulation establish?
The resolution fully assumes the conclusions of the Court of Auditors report and conveys to the Government and Renfe Viajeros a series of specific mandates. The deficiencies detected are grouped into five major blocks:
1. Contractual irregularities
Contracts were found to be formalized after the service had already been provided. This constitutes a violation of basic public procurement principles and hinders any prior spending control.
2. Obsolete and fragmented IT systems
Renfe operates with four different IT systems to manage subsidies, none of which are integrated with each other:
- SIVER
- VISIR
- VBK
- VNV
This fragmentation prevents real traceability of free pass usage and facilitates errors or irregularities in spending justification.
3. Fictitious validations and overvaluations
The report detects fictitious validations of free passes and overvaluations in the calculation of revenue losses that Renfe declares to justify the compensation received from the State. This directly affects the reliability of the data used by the Government to calculate how much it should compensate the operator.
4. No-Cash Card deposits not returned
Approximately €48 million in No-Cash Card deposits have been identified that have not been returned to users and have not been audited. The resolution urges a specific audit on this amount.
5. Pending Public Service Obligation contracts
Three autonomous communities with transferred railway services lack formalized Public Service Obligation (PSO) contracts with the State:
- Catalonia
- Aragon
- Extremadura
The resolution requires their urgent formalization.
Other approved requirements
| Area | Required measure |
|---|---|
| Compensation criteria | The Government must establish objective criteria for calculating compensation to Renfe |
| Access controls | Renfe must implement nominative control systems at access points |
| Web accessibility | Improve accessibility in accordance with Royal Decree 1112/2018 |
| Gender impact | Incorporate gender impact analysis in future transport subsidies |
Economic and operational impact
The economic implications of this resolution are direct and multidimensional:
- €48 million in deposits pending audit represent a real financial risk for Renfe: if the audit concludes they must be returned, the cash impact would be immediate.
- Overvaluations in revenue loss calculations could result in refunds of compensation already received from the State, with consequent impact on Renfe Viajeros' income statement.
- The fragmentation of four IT systems (SIVER, VISIR, VBK, VNV) implies integration or technology replacement costs to comply with new control requirements.
- The absence of PSO contracts with Catalonia, Aragon, and Extremadura creates legal uncertainty about compensation already paid in those communities and blocks future budget planning.
- The obligation to comply with RD 1112/2018 on web accessibility entails a technical project with development and audit costs.
Who does it affect?
- Renfe Viajeros, S.M.E., SA: the primary affected party. Must reform its control systems, technology, contracts, and spending justification processes.
- Central Government (Ministry of Transport): must establish objective compensation criteria and formalize pending PSO contracts.
- Autonomous Communities of Catalonia, Aragon, and Extremadura: affected by the lack of formalized PSO contracts regulating their transferred railway services.
- Free pass users: holders of No-Cash Cards who deposited deposits and have not recovered them are directly affected by the audit of the €48 million.
- Technology providers in the public railway sector: potential bidders for integration or replacement projects of the SIVER, VISIR, VBK, and VNV systems.
Practical example
Imagine you are a compliance officer at a public transport company similar to Renfe. Your company manages free passes with four different IT systems that do not communicate with each other. When the Court of Auditors audits the 2022-2023 period, it detects that some validations of pass usage are fictitious: the system records trips that were not made, artificially inflating the number of uses and, therefore, the revenue losses that justify State compensation.
The result: the State has paid compensation calculated on incorrect data. Congress's resolution now requires Renfe to implement nominative control systems at access points so that each validation is linked to a real, identified person. Until that system is operational, any figure on free pass usage is questionable in an audit.
In parallel, if you are one of the users who deposited a deposit when requesting a No-Cash Card and never recovered it, you are part of the universe of ~€48 million that Congress now requires to be audited and, if applicable, returned.
What should companies do now?
- If you are Renfe Viajeros or a public transport company: immediately audit the status of No-Cash Card deposits. The ~€48 million identified are the priority focus of the resolution.
- Review contracts with service providers: ensure that no contract is formalized after service delivery. This is a serious irregularity in public procurement.
- Evaluate technology integration: the four systems (SIVER, VISIR, VBK, VNV) must converge into a solution that allows real traceability. Begin technical and budgetary feasibility analysis.
- Implement nominative controls at access points: each use of a free pass must be linked to an identified person. Without this control, usage figures are unauditable.
- Verify compliance with RD 1112/2018 on web accessibility. Conduct an accessibility audit of your digital platforms.
- If you are an affected AC (Catalonia, Aragon, or Extremadura): activate negotiations to urgently formalize the Public Service Obligation contract with the State.
- Incorporate gender impact analysis in the design of any future public transport subsidy.
Frequently asked questions
What are Renfe's No-Cash Card deposits and why are €48 million not returned?
No-Cash Cards are free pass cards for which Renfe required a deposit from users when processing them. According to the Court of Auditors report, approximately €48 million in those deposits have not been returned to their holders and have not been audited. Congress's resolution requires a specific audit on this amount to determine its status and, if applicable, proceed with the refund.
What are the fictitious validations of free passes detected at Renfe?
The report detected that Renfe's system recorded validations of free pass usage that did not correspond to actual trips. This artificially inflated the number of uses and, therefore, the revenue losses declared by Renfe to justify compensation received from the State. To correct this, the resolution requires implementing nominative control systems at access points that link each validation to an identified person.
Which autonomous communities do not have a Public Service Obligation contract with Renfe and what does it imply?
Catalonia, Aragon, and Extremadura lack formalized Public Service Obligation (PSO) contracts with the State for their transferred railway services. This creates legal uncertainty about compensation already paid and hinders budget planning. The resolution urges the Government to formalize them urgently.
What IT systems does Renfe use to manage free passes and what is the problem?
Renfe manages free passes with four different systems: SIVER, VISIR, VBK, and VNV. The problem is that they are obsolete and not integrated with each other, which prevents real traceability of pass usage and facilitates errors or irregularities in spending justification to the State.
What does RD 1112/2018 require of Renfe regarding web accessibility?
Royal Decree 1112/2018 establishes the accessibility requirements for websites and mobile applications in the public sector. The resolution detects that Renfe does not fully comply with these standards and requires it to improve the accessibility of its digital platforms to ensure access for all users, including people with disabilities.
Official source
Consult complete regulation in official source
Notice: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific decisions, consult a qualified professional. Source: https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2026-12496