Our beginnings, those of the train in Spain, date back 80 years, when a process of reconstructing and nationalising the railway industry took place in our country and gave rise to the Red Nacional de Ferrocarriles Españoles (RENFE: National Network of Spanish Railways) in 1941.

Renfe (often stylized as RENFE) originally stood for Red Nacional de los Ferrocarriles Españoles, which translates in English to the "National Network of Spanish Railways." The organization was founded in 1941 following the Spanish Civil War to nationalize the country's various private railway companies. In 2005, in compliance with European Union regulations regarding the liberalization of the railway market, the old RENFE was split into two distinct entities: Adif, which manages the physical tracks and infrastructure, and Renfe-Operadora, the state-owned company that operates the actual passenger and freight trains. Today, most people simply use "Renfe" as a brand name for the company that runs Spain's high-speed AVE trains, as well as the Cercanías commuter networks and middle-distance services. Despite the structural changes over the last two decades, the name remains synonymous with the Spanish rail experience, representing one of the most advanced high-speed networks in the world.