New Madrid stop for AVE means Alicante to Madrid will take longer

THE MINISTRY of public works has announced that they will be opening this year a new high speed (AVE) train tunnel between Madrid’s Puerta de Atocha and Chamartin train stations.

This new tunnel, with standard international gauge tracks, has cost €300m, it links the two aforementioned stations, and means that those travelling from Alicante to the north of Spain (Galicia, Cantabria, Asturias, Basque Country) will be able to reach their destinations an hour quicker, as they will no longer have to change trains in Madrid as the AVE could not travel on the Iberian gauge track that links Atocha to the high speed line from the north that starts in Chamartin.

However, the downside is that the Alicante-Madrid AVEs, will no longer stop at Puerta de Atocha, and will stop at Chamartin, adding 15 minutes to the journey.

Passengers hope that the government will reconsider and let the trains stop at Atocha, as it is so much closer to the capital city’s centre.

The current trains covering the Alicante-Madrid service are now covering the distance 13 minutes slower than they did in 2013, taking the total average time to 2 hours and 18 minutes. This is due to their engines aging and they have to reduce their maximum speeds.

The trains’ current maximum speeds are 270 kph, while it used to be 300 kph on stretches between Albacete and Torrejón.

23 AVE trains are to have their engines replaced, and the ones that cover the Alicante-Madrid route are on the priority list.

Throughout the past six years, when the AVE Alicante to Atocha route started, this method of transport has proved very popular carrying around two million passengers every year.

Renfe offers eight daily AVEs to Madrid, as well as the Alvia trains that cover the Alicante to the north of Spain route via Chamartin, as they have the ability to use both standard and Iberian gauge. Up to now, AVE users had to get a local train from Atocha to Chamartin to board another AVE.