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Ouigo to launch low-cost train service between Murcia and Madrid in 2024
The rail operator aims to compete with Renfe to offer the lowest prices and best services in the Region of Murcia
Low-cost AVE operator Ouigo has announced plans to connect the Region of Murcia with the Spanish capital from 2024. The subsidiary of the French railway SNCF has requested a capacity study of the line from the Railway Infrastructure Administrator that will allow it to compete with the current provider, Renfe, on both price and the number of services on offer.
Ouigo has asked for a similar study of the Valladolid-Segovia-Madrid-Albacete-Alicante line with the view to increasing the number of services next year.
These studies are key for Ouigo to establish how much demand there is for the new routes; once the results are in, the company will reveal the start date for the new Murcia line, as well as the schedules and weekly frequencies of the trains. Ouigo has already confirmed that both the Alicante and Region of Murcia trips will be permanent routes and that the trains will leave from the Madrid-Chamartín station.
The arrival of the Murcia-Madrid route will coincide with a new connection between Andalucía and the capital via Cordoba, scheduled to begin operations mid-2024.
The attraction of Ouigo lies in its bargain prices: fares start at 9 euros each way, tickets for youngsters between the ages of 3 and 14 are just 5 euros while babies travel for free.
The new rail line has been in the works since the beginning of the year and the local government has been pushing for an alternative to Renfe in the Region of Murcia, which operates very few routes to the Spanish capital despite the seemingly high demand.
"It's a completely new infrastructure with a lot of potential for the Region," Minister of Public Works, José Ramón Díezade Revenga said in February.
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Image: Ouigo
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