train travel from Madrid

I was in Spain last week of December 1st week of January.

The trains run on time but don't expect perfection: meaning I would not try to catch a train leaving at 7:30 from Chamartin if it depended on one arriving at 6:58 at Atocha.

Look at the distance between the two stations on the map

How much time would you allow between a train arriving at Atocha and another leaving from Charmartin? An hour?

And how about between trains in same station?

I would go with the one leaving at 20:40 from Chamartin or 21: 12 if I was not going to pay for a taxi to get to Chamartin from Atocha.

A same station connection separate tickets one hour when I am not familiar with the station.

Thanks! I just looked that up and that is a fast train so actually only arrive a few minutes later.

I've been to Spain 3 times in the last 5 years and taken many trains. I only remember one time there was a delay, it wasn't on a high-speed train. They close the train doors 2 minutes before departure, you must be on the train before that. For the high-speed trains, there is a security check before accessing the platform. I haven't gone to Salamanca so I don't know if you have to go through a security check.

From seat61.com:
Madrid Atocha ► Madrid Chamartin
You can buy a suburban ticket to Chamartin from the self-service machines which have an English language facility. The fare is only around €1.70, the machines accept euro notes & coins. If you have an AVE or other long-distance train ticket you may get a suburban ticket free.
Go to platforms 1 & 2. Trains from these platforms all go to Chamartin, every 5-10 minutes. The journey is 3 stops and it takes just 10-15 minutes.

You may need at least 15 minutes to get from the Toledo train platform to the Cercanias (suburban train). Also allow 5 minutes to buy the tickets - more if you want to try to get the free tickets. If you knew exactly where you were going and could speedwalk through Atocha (it's often quite crowded with people moseying), and knew exactly where to go in Chamartin, and you were lucky with the Cercanias connection, you might make it in half an hour. BTW I have experienced delays on the Cercanias.

For connections on AVE trains all within Atocha station, you don't have to leave the secure area.

There are two levels for departures in Atocha station. If your arrival train and departure train are from the same level, just stay in the departure lounge, and wait for your next train to be posted. If they're on different levels, there is an elevator between the two, that allows you to go from one level to another without having to go through security again. The elevator is outside the lounge, in the track area, near the high number tracks. Just ask for it if it's not immediately evident where it is.

This means that, for your train from Toledo through Madrid to Cordoba, 30 minutes or so should be sufficient for this connection.

Since the train from Toledo through Madrid to Salamanca requires changing stations, I'd allow MUCH more time for that one. As Chani outlined, after getting off the train from Toledo, you have to find the right section of Atocha for the cercanias, buy the ticket or redeem your code for the ticket, wait for the train, take the train from Atocha to Chamartin, and then find your way within Chamartin to the train to Salamanca.

And do not underestimate how much time it takes to find your way within Atocha station from one section to another (such as from AVE to cercanias). I'm used to Penn Station in New York City, and I found Atocha even more confusing! I haven't been in Chamartin in a long time, but I remember it as being smaller and less confusing.

Thank you so much for the information. I obviously seriously underestimated what was involved. When I thought about it, I realized I had only arrived in Madrid (from Sevilla) but finding the exit is not the same thing as finding the train track!