Low-cost Ouigo to expand train services in Spain’s Andalusia and Murcia
High-speed rail operator Ouigo is adding more Spanish destinations to its low-cost network, connecting cities in Andalusia and Murcia with the capital for as little as €9 one way.
The French operator rail operator has announced further route expansions in Spain later this year.
In the second half of 2024 Ouigo plans to expand into the huge southern region of Andalusia, with routes covering Seville, Málaga and Córdoba, as well as increasing its presence on the Mediterranean coast with stops in Elche and Murcia on a line that will link to Valladolid, passing through Madrid.
The expansion will provide six daily connections between Seville and Madrid, and twelve between Córdoba and the capital.
As with previous expansions, the company has confirmed that ticket prices will start from €9 for a one way ticket, with a flat rate of €5 for children under 14 years old.
Ouigo’s general director Hélène Valenzuela presented the company’s expansion plans in Madrid last week.
This new announcement follows news earlier in the year that Ouigo would begin stopping in cities such as Valladolid and Segovia.
The new Valladolid and Segovia routes, which are set to have two daily services, one of them with connections to Albacete and Alicante, forms part of the company's broader expansion plans for high-speed rail in Spain in 2024. These new lines are expected to open sometime in April.
READ ALSO: Low-cost Ouigo trains to reach Spain's Valladolid and Segovia in April
From June, Ouigo will also stop in Cuenca (in the Castilla-La Mancha region) as part of the Madrid-Valencia line.
Together with state-owned rail company Renfe and Italian operator Iryo, Ouigo is one three companies that operate high speed rail in Spain after railway liberalisation opened up the market in 2019.
READ ALSO: Which cities in Spain will get Avlo low-cost rail services in 2024?
However, the Spanish government has recently criticised French company's low-pricing policy as ‘price dumping’, as well as its alleged obstruction of Renfe's expansion in France.
Addressing the Andalusian expansion, Valenzuela explained that although there is still no confirmed launch date (Spanish media reports suggest it will be after the summer) Ouigo’s expansion into the southern region will bring an end to high price tickets to reach cities like Seville or Málaga during peak travel periods such as Easter and Christmas.
"There is going to be a real drop in prices for Andalusia and an increase in capacity so that there's room on the trains during those periods when we see that prices are rising… For Easter 2025, the scenario will be very different from this year," Valenzuela said.
The new destinations will join the list of Spanish cities already covered by Ouigo, including Madrid, Zaragoza, Tarragona, Barcelona, Valencia, Albacete and Alicante.
Spain has the most high-speed rail in Europe in terms of total kilometre coverage, and the second most in the world. However, critics argue that the massive expansion of high-speed rail services in Spain is not evenly distributed and has been overly focused on urban centres, leaving many parts of the country disconnected from the rest or with the need to take connections via Madrid.
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The French operator rail operator has announced further route expansions in Spain later this year.
In the second half of 2024 Ouigo plans to expand into the huge southern region of Andalusia, with routes covering Seville, Málaga and Córdoba, as well as increasing its presence on the Mediterranean coast with stops in Elche and Murcia on a line that will link to Valladolid, passing through Madrid.
The expansion will provide six daily connections between Seville and Madrid, and twelve between Córdoba and the capital.
As with previous expansions, the company has confirmed that ticket prices will start from €9 for a one way ticket, with a flat rate of €5 for children under 14 years old.
Ouigo’s general director Hélène Valenzuela presented the company’s expansion plans in Madrid last week.
This new announcement follows news earlier in the year that Ouigo would begin stopping in cities such as Valladolid and Segovia.
The new Valladolid and Segovia routes, which are set to have two daily services, one of them with connections to Albacete and Alicante, forms part of the company's broader expansion plans for high-speed rail in Spain in 2024. These new lines are expected to open sometime in April.
READ ALSO: Low-cost Ouigo trains to reach Spain's Valladolid and Segovia in April
From June, Ouigo will also stop in Cuenca (in the Castilla-La Mancha region) as part of the Madrid-Valencia line.
Together with state-owned rail company Renfe and Italian operator Iryo, Ouigo is one three companies that operate high speed rail in Spain after railway liberalisation opened up the market in 2019.
READ ALSO: Which cities in Spain will get Avlo low-cost rail services in 2024?
However, the Spanish government has recently criticised French company's low-pricing policy as ‘price dumping’, as well as its alleged obstruction of Renfe's expansion in France.
Addressing the Andalusian expansion, Valenzuela explained that although there is still no confirmed launch date (Spanish media reports suggest it will be after the summer) Ouigo’s expansion into the southern region will bring an end to high price tickets to reach cities like Seville or Málaga during peak travel periods such as Easter and Christmas.
"There is going to be a real drop in prices for Andalusia and an increase in capacity so that there's room on the trains during those periods when we see that prices are rising… For Easter 2025, the scenario will be very different from this year," Valenzuela said.
The new destinations will join the list of Spanish cities already covered by Ouigo, including Madrid, Zaragoza, Tarragona, Barcelona, Valencia, Albacete and Alicante.
Spain has the most high-speed rail in Europe in terms of total kilometre coverage, and the second most in the world. However, critics argue that the massive expansion of high-speed rail services in Spain is not evenly distributed and has been overly focused on urban centres, leaving many parts of the country disconnected from the rest or with the need to take connections via Madrid.
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