EXPLAINED: Spain's new low-cost Avlo train between Madrid and Murcia
Renfe’s low-cost branch Avlo is set to launch a new train between Spain’s capital and the southeastern region of Murcia in December. Here’s all the key information, from ticket prices to stops and journey times.
On December 10th 2023, Avlo will begin operating its new train between Madrid and Murcia.
This represents the fifth rail connection between Murcia and the Spanish capital, with the most groundbreaking change so far being the inauguration in 2022 of the first high-speed AVE link to the distant region after a twenty-year wait.
Journey time, daily services and stops
It will take approximately three hours and a half to complete the journey.
The Avlo train departs from Madrid’s Chamartín and stops at six towns and cities before reaching Murcia. The stops are Cuenca, Albacete, Villena, Alicante, Elche and Orihuela.
There will be one Avlo train in each direction every day, leaving Chamartín in Madrid at 6.15 am and leaving Murcia at 10.32am. There are another four AVE trains between Murcia and Madrid every day but these are of course more expensive.
Prices
The most appealing factor about the new Madrid-Murcia Avlo train are the ticket prices, starting at €7 one way. The ticket price for under 14s is slightly cheaper, starting at €5, and for a maximum of two children per adult.
These are not fixed prices so you can expect to pay more depending on the period of travel.
There are 20 percent to 50 percent discounts for large families.
Other important information
Avlo - a low-cost subsidiary which state rail operator Renfe created to compete with new private rail operators in Spain Ouigo and Iryo - already began operating a service between Madrid and Alicante in March 2023.
The launch in December is effectively a continuation of this, adding Elche, Orihuela and Murcia to the line. It will take an hour from Alicante to Murcia on the new Avlo.
This is also coinciding with a new low-cost Volotea flight between Madrid and Murcia on December 1st.
Ouigo has also received approval from railway infrastructure manager Adif to start operating its own Madrid-Murcia low-cost service in 2024, with two daily services in each direction planned, a shorter journey time of 2 hours 45 minutes and one-way tickets starting at €9.
Murcia, together with Extremadura, are generally considered the regions with the worst railway systems in Spain, even though the country’s rail infrastructure is among the most extensive in the world.
The increasing choice of trains from Murcia to Madrid is certainly helping to address this, as Spain continues to make train travel throughout the country easier and more affordable.
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On December 10th 2023, Avlo will begin operating its new train between Madrid and Murcia.
This represents the fifth rail connection between Murcia and the Spanish capital, with the most groundbreaking change so far being the inauguration in 2022 of the first high-speed AVE link to the distant region after a twenty-year wait.
Journey time, daily services and stops
It will take approximately three hours and a half to complete the journey.
The Avlo train departs from Madrid’s Chamartín and stops at six towns and cities before reaching Murcia. The stops are Cuenca, Albacete, Villena, Alicante, Elche and Orihuela.
There will be one Avlo train in each direction every day, leaving Chamartín in Madrid at 6.15 am and leaving Murcia at 10.32am. There are another four AVE trains between Murcia and Madrid every day but these are of course more expensive.
Prices
The most appealing factor about the new Madrid-Murcia Avlo train are the ticket prices, starting at €7 one way. The ticket price for under 14s is slightly cheaper, starting at €5, and for a maximum of two children per adult.
These are not fixed prices so you can expect to pay more depending on the period of travel.
There are 20 percent to 50 percent discounts for large families.
Other important information
Avlo - a low-cost subsidiary which state rail operator Renfe created to compete with new private rail operators in Spain Ouigo and Iryo - already began operating a service between Madrid and Alicante in March 2023.
The launch in December is effectively a continuation of this, adding Elche, Orihuela and Murcia to the line. It will take an hour from Alicante to Murcia on the new Avlo.
This is also coinciding with a new low-cost Volotea flight between Madrid and Murcia on December 1st.
Ouigo has also received approval from railway infrastructure manager Adif to start operating its own Madrid-Murcia low-cost service in 2024, with two daily services in each direction planned, a shorter journey time of 2 hours 45 minutes and one-way tickets starting at €9.
Murcia, together with Extremadura, are generally considered the regions with the worst railway systems in Spain, even though the country’s rail infrastructure is among the most extensive in the world.
The increasing choice of trains from Murcia to Madrid is certainly helping to address this, as Spain continues to make train travel throughout the country easier and more affordable.
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