Costa Blanca South
Riding the rails: Private operators transform Alicante-Madrid train travel
By Anna Ellis •
Published: 15 Jul 2024 • 12:53
Private operators have captured nearly a third of passengers travelling by train between Alicante and Madrid.
The news comes according to a recent report by the National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC).
In the first quarter of 2024, Ouigo and Iryo services together held a 30.1 per cent market share on this route.
Ouigo in Spain
Ouigo Spain led with a significant 26.4 per cent share, while Ilsa, operating Iryo trains, held a modest 3.7 per cent, notable given its recent launch a year ago.
The CNMC s first quarterly report of 2024 on rail passenger transport liberalisation reveals various statistics about train corridors served by multiple companies.
On the Alicante-Madrid route, Renfe retained nearly 70 per cent market share, with 13.4 per cent coming from its Avlo service, which directly competes with Ouigo and Iryo.
Renfe offered 911,140 seats and transported 573,881 passengers in these three months, achieving a 63 per cent occupancy rate, indicating strong performance against competitors.
Increased Passengers
Competition has significantly increased the number of passengers on the Alicante-Madrid route by 50 per cent.
Ouigo, in particular, has shown robust performance, offering 277,405 seats and transporting 216,886 passengers, translating to a 78.2 per cent occupancy rate.
Ilsa s Iryo, while smaller in absolute numbers, also performed well with a 70.3 per cent occupancy rate, offering 43,334 seats and carrying 30,454 passengers.
Overall, the three operators provided 1,231,879 seats, with 821,201 being occupied.
This increase in passenger numbers highlights the impact of liberalisation on train travel between Alicante and Madrid.
The CNMC previously reported a 50 per cent increase in travellers in 2023 due to private operators entering the market, totalling around 2,250,000 passengers.
New Record
With over 820,000 passengers in the first quarter of 2024, a new record for the year is anticipated.
Pricing has played a crucial role in this growth. The cost of a basic ticket on the Alicante-Madrid route had decreased by 27.6 per cent compared to the first quarter of 2023 when there was no competition.
Avlo tickets were the cheapest, averaging €21.98, closely followed by Ouigo at €23.20, indicating strong competition between these operators and Renfe.
Iryo tickets averaged €29.17, while AVE tickets remained the most expensive at €42.47.
Sign up for personalised news
Subscribe to our Euro Weekly News alerts to get the latest stories into your inbox!
By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you don’t already have one. Review our
Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
Originally from Derbyshire, UK, Anna has lived in the middle of nowhere on the Costa Blanca for 20 years.
Leave a comment Cancel reply
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Comment for robots
Known as the PEOPLE’S PAPER, Euro Weekly News is the leading English language newspaper in Spain. And it’s FREE!
Covering the Costa del Sol, Costa Blanca, Almeria, Axarquia, Mallorca and beyond, EWN supports and inspires the individuals, neighbourhoods, and communities we serve, by delivering news with a social conscience. Whether it’s local news in Spain, UK news or international stories, we are proud to be the voice for the expat communities who now call Spain home.
With around half a million print readers a week and over 1.5 million web views per month, EWN has the biggest readership of any English language newspaper in Spain. The paper prints over 150 news stories a week with many hundreds more on the web – no one else even comes close.
Our publication has won numerous awards over the last 25 years including Best Free Newspaper of the Year (Premios AEEPP), Company of the Year (Costa del Sol Business Awards) and Collaboration with Foreigners honours (Mijas Town Hall). All of this comes at ZERO cost to our readers. All our print and online content always has been and always will be FREE OF CHARGE.
Sign up for personalised news
Subscribe to our Euro Weekly News alerts to get the latest stories into your inbox!
By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you don’t already have one. Review our Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
Close
