High speed train from Madrid to Seville

How many of you are there? You say each of you will probably have a carry-on bag, and "assuming 2 pieces of luggage..." Please assure us that you do not mean that each traveler will have 2 regular suitcases and 1 carry-on bag. That will not work well as you travel by train.

Your luggage will not be checked in the sense of putting it in a baggage-storage area. You will be responsible for getting it onto the train and off the train. There are luggage racks, but they often fill up, and there is certainly not space for each traveler to have two full-size bags. The carry-ons can probably go on a rack above your seats.

On the train to Seville, your bags will be put through an X-ray machine, I think. So in that sense, they will be "checked".

My question is, how long before should we get to the train station? Will they check all our luggage? what kind of security is there? Looks like we can have one carry on each and assuming 2 pieces of luggage, they call them packages on the Iryo website.

We caught an Iryo train from Atocha in February. We got to the station about 40 minutes before our train, but 30 minutes would have been enough.

We lined up for around 5 minutes to put our luggage through the X-ray security to access the station waiting area. Our bags and jackets just went through an X-ray machine like at an airport. You don't need to get out liquids or electronics. We just walked through but there seemed to be random "wanding" being done.

The platform for our train was displayed around 30 minutes before departure and we started to board about 20 minutes before departure. Your ticket is checked in the waiting area by a person using a handheld device to scan the QR code and then you go down an escalator to the platform.

We had no problems with two 23 inch roller bags and two small backpacks between us (so four pieces of luggage in total). There was a luggage rack at the end of our carriage where our large bags were stowed and the backpacks went in an overhead rack. Most other travellers with carry on size bags just put them in the overhead racks. We knew about the minimal storage options for larger bags so we lined up early to get onto the train.

There are a total of four of us, each of us will have one carry and one roller suite case, so I think we should be fine..

This thread from the other day covers most of your questions: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/spain/madrid-to-granada-train

You asked: Will they check all our luggage? what kind of security is there?

Your luggage will be checked by going through a scanning process similar to that for carry-on at the airport. You'll be with it, but it's not as restrictive for you as an airport one. This is all because of the bombing of the Atocha train station on 11 March 2004.

After that, you'll take it to your train yourself. I hope you have time to enjoy the beautiful Atocha station -- and its turtles.

I'd never heard of iryo, so I looked it up.

I went to the Baggage info and found this (my emphasis markings and notes and [additions]):

Baggage Policy

Travel as you want, when you want and to your measure.

Discover our baggage policy

Luggage

Any piece of hand [luggage] that the client can carry with him, which is easy to transport and intended for travel, is considered baggage. Note: you must be able to handle your baggage yourself. That means getting it to the train, on the train and properly stowed as described below.

You may take up to 3 pieces of luggage so long as they fit in the space provided without interfering with the security measures on board the train.

These 3 pieces can be:
2 pieces with a maximum size of 85x55x35cm. [33.46"x21.65"x13.77"] Note: Since I travel with one carry-on roller bag 22"x14"x 9" or smaller, I can't imagine trying to wrestle 1 bag the size listed, much less 2. However, it could cover my roller bag and the backpack or tote I typically take. Nothing says that you have to max out here.

A piece of hand luggage with a maximum size of 36x27x15cm. [14.17"x10.62"x5.9"] Note: This sounds more like a purse or messenger bag size. I must admit that it's good for them to clearly state this for their passengers.

The total weight of the 3 pieces must not exceed 25kg. [55.11 pounds] Note: I highly recommend getting a luggage scale that reads in both pounds and kilos. It's really helped me keep my packing in control.

Farther down the page it says this which expands a bit on how and where passengers are required to store their luggage, hints at possible repercussions for not doing it right and reminds them that no one's going to mind it for them:

Baggage liability

The client must properly place the luggage he carries with him in the places destined for it, avoiding causing possible damage or inconvenience to other passengers and staff on board trains, as well as damage to the material or disturb the railway operation. It is the sole responsibility of the customer to monitor their luggage.

how and where passengers are required to store their luggage, hints at possible repercussions for not doing it right and reminds them that no one's going to mind it for them

This is because the racks for the bigger bags are near the doors to the carriage and so you may be seated some distance away. Like any train in Europe, you just have to trust that no-one is going to steal your luggage off the train.

so long as they fit in the space provided without interfering with the security measures on board the train

The only security measures we saw on board our Iryo train was a couple of signs. One saying not to block the corridor with luggage and the other one reminding people not to fall out the door when it automatically opens at the station.

The total weight of the 3 pieces must not exceed 25kg. [55.11 pounds]

For our train there was no way for the people checking the tickets to weigh anyone's luggage. They were just standing in front of one of those ropes you see at nightclubs with a handheld device scanning QR codes as quickly as possible.

I appreciate all the great information that has been given, espicailly from Aussie nomad, your insight is fabulous. I know what to expect and can better be prepaired. Thanks!

now in addition to all the other things i'm worried about, the latest is whether or how we can store our luggage on Spanish trains. we prefer to travel by rail and were hoping Spain would be similar to Japan although i do have to leave suitcases between cars over there. supposedly we can each board with a large suitcase but i'm not clear about exactly where we are supposed to store these on the train. if each passenger is allowed to have one big suitcase why don't the railroads make sure there is enough storage space available? i've read conflicting information about this and still haven't seen photos showing multiple large suitcases being carried aboard. i always try to plan for things in advance in order to keep problems to a minimum once i'm in a foreign country. don't these train companies realize that tourists need to carry a lot of stuff with them just as they do when they travel by air? who can give me a definite answer regarding how much luggage i can bring with me and where i can store it between Spanish cities?

There can be no definite answer. Availability of storage space for large bags depends on how full the train is, how many of your fellow travelers have large bags and whether you board at the train's origin point (and get to the station early enough to take advantage of that) or at an intermediate stop. Folks have pointed out in the past that it may be easier to find space in a first-class carriage, because there will be fewer passengers using the same rack space.

I travel with a suitcase that's about 24" for 4-1/2 months at a time. I'm a short, 71-year-old female, and it isn't easy for me to get that bag onto a train when there are steps to ascend--which there usually are. I manage because I have a cross-body purse and a tote bag I can sling over a shoulder, thus having a hand free to hold onto the train as I go up and down the steps. If there's no space on the rack for my bag and no other option for storing it, which happened twice in France in July or August 2017, I stand (or sit on a jump seat) in the vestibule with my bag. On both occasions I boarded the train at an intermediate stop and the racks were already full.

Depending on the configuration of your carriage, there may be some seats positioned back to back, in which case there will be a space in between that will accommodate a moderate-size suitcase.

We just took the Iryo from Madrid to Seville yesterday. We got there an hour early which was plenty of time. Security took a few minutes. We had 2 suitcases and two backpacks and had no trouble with that. Nobody was checking how much luggage we had when we boarded. We left our suitcases by the door and put the backpacks overhead. Hope this helps