More AVEs for less money
New low-cost Ouigo trains between Madrid and Murcia will also stop in Elche
LOW-cost private rail company Ouigo is to start operating four high-speed train (AVE) services per day between Murcia and Madrid, with tickets going on sale from May 22.
These will only stop at Elche and Albacete, completing the journey in about two hours and 45 minutes.
They will provide 14,000 seats per week at an average price of €9 for a one-way ticket, it was confirmed following a meeting at Murcia city hall between mayor José Ballesta and the board of the French company on Tuesday.
There is a set fare of €7 for children aged between four and 13, and those under three travel for free.
Ouigo will put on two trains in each direction per day, with departures from Madrid Chamartín at 08.15 and 16.15 arriving at Murcia El Carmen at 11.01 and 19.03 respectively.
The trains from Murcia will leave at 12.39 and 20.39, reaching the capital at 15.23 and 23.23 respectively.
This will increase the current number of services between Murcia and the capital, with state rail company Renfe currently offering two in each direction which stop at Orihuela and Elche and also take two hours and 45 minutes, as well as three in each direction which take three hours and 36 minutes, stopping at Orihuela, Elche, Alicante, Villena, Albacete and Cuenca.
Sr Ballesta said his city would welcome Ouigo increasing the number of seats, times and frequencies that are currently available.
He assured that the low fares already offered by the company in other cities, such as Alicante and Valencia, have attracted the sort of people who previously would not have considered taking an AVE, such as families with children, young people, students or selfemployed people with small businesses.
“We are certain they will also do this on the Madrid-Murcia line,” he said.
Since the line opened in December 2022, the council has
worked to make it more competitive and profitable, according to Sr Ballesta.
He said that as soon as his current local government took office on June 25 last year, he met with Ouigo managing director Hèlene Valenzuela, who expressed their willingness to operate in Murcia and certainty it would be a commercial success.
City hall wrote to the national competition watchdog (CNMC) supporting the proposal to allow the private operator to use the line, and made arrangements with state railway company Adif which enabled Ouigo to be granted authorisation on August 16, 2023.
During their visit to Murcia, the Ouigo board members, including Sra Valenzuela, were able to get to know the city, including a guided tour of the cathedral, a city hall spokesman added.