I agree. I looked into this before. There is a
bus from Toledo to Ciudad Real, where you could pick up a train to Cordoba, or you could take the train from Toledo to Aranjuez, then change to Ciudad Real, then change again to Cordoba; but your options are few. It's simpler just to go back to Madrid, even though you're backtracking. It
is the "nearest station on the main line to Cordoba." These trains make stops only at major cities.
Oh, I guess there are more
buses from Toledo to Ciudad Real, including a Monday-Friday 7:00 departure; 8:30 arrival in Ciudad Real. In Ciudad Real, I think you'd have to take a taxi from the bus to the train station. Then there are lots of
trains from there to Cordoba. Mind you, I don't know if this web information is current. You could contact the bus line, AISA, at
aisa@aisa-grupo.com to find out. You can make reservations for the bus by calling 902 198 788, and reservations for the train at
tiknet. Here's the
Toledo-Madrid-Cordoba train schedule. (There are no on-line schedules past June 12 now, but will probably be about the same). Or separately,
Toledo-Madrid and
Madrid-Cordoba. You might save a little time and a little money by going on the bus To Ciudad Real, but it would be very close.