I agree with lin.

All passengers have their AVE tickets checked now by an attendant BEFORE they are allowed to board the AVE. Once on the train, the tickets aren't checked by a conductor because they have been checked in the pre-boarding process.
This holds true for the Alvia, Alaris, Euromed trains as well. (Just had recent experience with the Alvia to Pamplona). So pass holders can't just jump on any of these trains without a Renfe attendant sending them to the ticket office to pay the additional fee. Absolutely no winging it.

This is great, I am learning so much from you folks! Thank you!

Therefore, it seems to me, AVE trains come in and go out of separate platforms all along their routes? Please bear in mind that I have not been there yet, I have not done it.

If attendants check tickets before boarding then therefore there is some barrier from the rest of the station, all along the route, through which you cannot pass without the right documentation, and through which you do pass to wait for the AVE, right? I'm just using my imagination - please bear with me.

It's not like this in Germany for example, where I've travelled by train extensively. You can show up on an ICE platform (same thing: ICE = AVE) and there are no barriers, no one inspects your documents, you just Get On The Train. That's where I'm coming from: have travelled around Euroland by train, have not done Spain yet, you see?

If I'm right, it's good to have these details explained. Everywhere else (on the internet) they just assume that you know these things already.

Thanks! InterRail do not tell you this stuff, they just flog their tickets.

Gordon_R, thanks for that tip.

yes, they have checks and when I was there, you had to pass through security, also. It was just like getting on an airplane, basically. They had a security screening with that detector thing you stepped through, and it was a special gate and platform.

There isn't any real reason you would have to know that ahead of time, though. When you get to the train station and see the quay posted, you'll find out when you go to it.

The AVE trains run on standard gauge tracks, while the slower trains run on broad-gauge tracks. Between Sevilla and Cordoba, the two lines run parallel. At the stations, the AVE trains must therefore use different platforms from the slower trains.
The AVE trains are travelling to and from Madrid, and most passengers will be travelling Madrid-Cordoba or Madrid-Sevilla. I can't imagine many people travelling between Cordoba and Sevilla would use the AVE trains, unless they're in a desperate hurry (the AVE trains are more frequent as well as faster).

danon, it's not the same thing, with respect."

what I was referring to was the statemenet :

"People are willing to pay extra for fewer stops (with the all the coming and going of passengers), faster trips, train times that match exactly to their schedule, and nicer train carriages."

people have different reasons for taking a specific train, a plane with more stops, or whatever... IT IS TO SAVE MONEY OR TIME!
Of course train travel is different than flying!

Got my rights and lefts round the wrong way, sorry! Sould read:-

"...when you buy your tickets at the station in Seville, be sure to use the separate ticket counter for local/regional trains which is to the RIGHT of the counter for express trains."

InterRail IS valid on AVE - 9 euro supplement or thereabouts.

But there's no longer any 'convenience factor' in having a pass as you always need to make a reservation before boarding. In fact there's an 'inconveniece factor' as I can go online now to www.renfe.es and buy a ticket between Madrid and Seville but I can't make a 'reservation only' booking to go with a pass unless I call an agency and pay the 9 euro plus an £8 booking fee.

Next point, Spain now operates a 3 tier pricing policy: Web, Estrella, and normal fare. Book ahead at www.renfe.es and you can often find a Madr-d-Seville 'Web' fare for just 30 euro or so, blowing a pass plus 9 euro charge plus £8 fee out of the water.

Man in Seat 61, is that really you? The guy with the website? It sounds like you.

If yes, you were SO helpful to me earlier. I must also thank, very profusely, Benny on TripAdvisor who wrote the definitive guide to buying Renfe tickets on line. Without that - and you, Seat61, I could never have done it by myself, without a travel agent and their pesky commission charges. I also want to thank everyone else in this thread for their cheeful help too. Bravo!

The email reply to my queries from customer service at InterRail was somewhat "odd". She refers me to TGV and Thalys requirements when I was only talking about Spain. Even I know that TGV and Thalys don't operate in Spain.......???

She also advised me to phone *Austrian* Railways to make seat reservations on the AVE trains in Spain.....???

Still, at least I got a reply, which is more than can be said for my local airport recently. WHY offer an info@ email address if they just ignore questions?