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Over the last five years, the number of people travelling through Spain on high-speed trains has skyrocketed, and this is mainly down to a huge drop in the price of tickets. A few short years ago, Renfe, still Spain’s leading rail operator, dominated the market, but with increased competition, costs have plummeted by more than half.

 

This is according to Trainline, which revealed this week that tickets for travel on Spain's most popular train route, linking Madrid to Barcelona, are 58% cheaper on average now than in 2019, before Ouigo began operating in 2021 in competition with Renfe, followed a little later by Iryo.

 

Not only is rail travel now much cheaper, but passengers have far more options as more trains are added to the most popular routes year after year. In 2024 alone, there has been a 25% increase in the number of passengers travelling by train between the Spanish capital and Barcelona.

 

The transversal route from Barcelona to Sevilla, on the other hand, has tripled the number of passengers and its price has also fallen by 29%, a trend that has been replicated on the country's main routes.

 

“This year, the impact is particularly relevant on the lines connecting Madrid with Andalucía,” the Trainline report pointed out. Customers on the Madrid-Malaga route have not only doubled compared to 2023, but have also saved up to 13%. Meanwhile, the line between Madrid and Sevilla has increased passengers by 58%, with savings of up to 10%.

 

The Trainline report shows that the Madrid-Alicante route has also doubled the number of passengers during 2024. In addition, passengers between Madrid and Valencia have increased by 55% in the last year.

 

“Spain is leading the transformation of the European railway sector and will continue to do so during the second phase of liberalisation, which promises to further revolutionise the way we travel in our country and the rest of Europe,” explained the general manager of Trainline in Spain, Pedro García, referring to an environmentally friendly means of transport that emits the least pollution.

 

“While in 2024 the supply on Spanish tracks has continued to grow, prices on routes with competition have continued to fall.”

 

In new cities where competition is arriving, such as Elche, for example, the number of passengers has increased sixfold compared to the previous year, and prices have fallen by 31%.

 

 

Image: Adif