Bilbao has three railway stations, operated by three different companies. Renfe (tel: (94) 423 8635 or 902 243 402; website: www.renfe.es), Spain's national railway company, operates short and long distance trains from Abando Station, which connects with Abando underground station and Bilbao's tramway. Long-distance destinations that can be reached from Abando Station include Alicante, Barcelona, Madrid, Málaga and Valladolid-Salamanca.

Feve (Ferrocarriles Españoles de Vía Estrecha, or Spanish Narrow Gauge Railway) (tel: (94) 423 2266; website: www.feve.es), operates from Concordia Station and connects with the city of Santander and from there, the whole of the north coast. Feve owns the longest narrow gauge line in Europe, stretching over 1,200km (745 miles). The company's two main routes link Bilbao with Santander and León.

Euskotren (tel: (94) 433 9500 or 902 543 210; website: www.euskotren.es) is the railway company run by the Basque government. Its trains leave from Atxuri Station, connecting with Donostia-San Sebastian and the coast of Biscay, via Gernika and Bermeo.