Spain’s southeastern region of Murcia now has a high-speed train link link with Madrid.
The AVE rail, which launched on December 20, 2022, puts an end to an almost two-decade wait for a service which was long promised and slow to deliver. Murcia is 250 miles southeast of the capital, and the new high-speed AVE service (3-hours) is at least 1-2 hours faster than the 4-5 hour driving time, and with gas prices in Spain at $6.30 a gallon, it is a money saver as well.
“We settled a historic debt with Murcia, putting an end to an unfairly prolonged railway isolation,” said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, adding that the new line would advance their goal to “guarantee equal opportunities for all Spaniards.”
Murcia del Carmen Estacion (photo Antonio Lopez)
Four daily services now run in each direction between Murcia and Madrid, with the direct train taking 2 hours and 40 minutes. Two of the services stop in Alicante, with a total journey time of 3 hours and 30 minutes. Introductory tickets from Murcia to Madrid are available for as low as €19 (about $20) but can go as high as €90 (about $95, depending on how far you book in advance. Spain’s Free Train Pass plan can be applied to the Murcia-Alicante journey.
The city of Murcia has wonderful Mediterranean weather and impressive landmarks. Travelers taking the new AVE train from Madrid will arrive at the train station El Carmen, just a few minutes away from the Plaza Cardenal Belluga, from where visitors can admire the Cathedral of Santa Maria and then visit the city’s famous casino with its impressive architecture and luxurious style. Besides its great museums, travelers can also enjoy local cuisine and special traditional dishes such as the michirones, the zarangollo, or the paparajotes. Murcia is also a region known for being one of the largest producers of flowers, fruits, and vegetables in Europe. Its wines are very popular too.
(image Renfe)
Earlier this year, free train tickets were introduced for short and medium-distance journeys. It started in September , 2022, and was originally meant to end at the end of December 2022, but has since been extended to December 2023. The plan applies to short and medium-distance trains run by the national rail operator Renfe. It is open to all nationalities, including international tourists.
Madrid Estacion de Chamartin (image esmadrid.com)
“This measure aims to promote public transport and reduce the use of private vehicles and will help reduce our energy dependence and our carbon footprint,” Renfe states on its website.
After China, Spain has the world’s second-largest network of high-speed railways. And now, travelers visiting Spain will have more route alternatives, with trains running up to speeds of over 180 miles per hour, and also better prices. For the new route, Renfe, the national passenger railway company of Spain, launched 30,000 introductory tickets for 19 euros for travel until the end of 2023. The new route will provide eight services per day, stopping at Orihuela and Elche, and AVE will also offer a longer route alternative—3 hours and 25 minutes— stopping at the fascinating cities Alicante, Villena, Albacete, and Cuenca.
In November, 2022, a private high-speed operator, Iryo, launched a new high-speed train route between Madrid and Barcelona, the two largest cities in Spain. This route is served by Ouigo, Renfe, and now Iryo, providing passengers with low-cost alternatives. As reported in the past month, ticket prices for this route have fallen by around 43%. On average, fares have gone from 81 euros (about $86) to 46 euros (about $49) per seat. Travelers can now travel to explore these fascinating cities for a lower price.
Madrid remains the main and central city from where travelers can access different destinations in the country by train, but Barcelona is getting new routes as well. The Italian state railways FS Italiane is interested in launching high-speed trains between Barcelona and Paris by the end of 2024.
More cities in Europe are connected by high-speed rail, and more companies are interested in expanding and developing this service, which is considered not only greener but also faster than planes.
Taking into account the waiting time at the airport, there are certain train routes connecting big cities— like, London and Paris, or Rome to Naples— which are actually faster by train.
In December, Switzerland launched the newest scenic train, the GoldenPass Express, with modern and fancy wagons to connect the Swiss cities of Montreux and Interlaken.
