High-speed prices continue to fall with more supply than ever before due to liberalization
Ahead of the imminent arrival of a new operator in Andalucía, competition continues to drive affordability. According to Trainline data, prices have fallen on routes such as Madrid-Málaga (-13%) and Madrid-Sevilla (-10%) compared to 2023. Likewise, fares are beginning to stabilize on the Madrid-Barcelona route.On the other hand, the cross-border train continues to consolidate, with increases in demand in París, Oporto or Lyon.
The effects of rail liberalization in Spain, which began four years ago and whose second phase is already underway, continue to transform the way Spaniards travel and significantly boost rail travel.
This is reflected in the latest study by Trainline, the leading independent platform for booking train and bus travel, which shows that while in 2024 the offer on Spanish routes has continued to grow, prices on routes with competition have continued to fall.
MOST COMPETITION
This year, the impact of liberalizationis especially relevant on the lines connecting Madrid with Andalucía. Passengers on the Madrid-Málaga route have not only doubled compared to 2023, but have saved up to 13%. For its part, the line between Madrid and Seville has increased its passengers by 58%, with savings of up to 10%.
Focusing on the Levantine corridor, the Madrid-Alicante route has also doubled the number of passengers during the year 2024. In addition, passengers between Madrid and Valencia have increased by 55% during the last year while maintaining almost the same average price as last year.
Prices have stabilized on the Madrid-Barcelona route, which remains the most popular in Spain and has registered an increase of 25% in passengers in 2024. In any case, the average price to travel between the two main Spanish cities has fallen by 58% since 2019, i.e. before the entry of new operators in Spain.
It is worth highlighting the case of the Barcelona-Seville cross route, which triples the number of passengers and whose average price has fallen by 29% compared to 2023.
MÁS REGIONS
During the last twelve months several Spanish cities have seen an increase in the number of train seats and connections with other cities thanks to the increase in supply.
Such is the case of Elche, which has multiplied by six the number of passengers compared to the previous year. The ranking of large cities or capitals with the greatest increase in passengers in 2024 is completed by Gijón (x4), Oviedo (x4), Valladolid (x3), Murcia (x3), Málaga (x2), Albacete (x2), Cuenca (x2), Alicante (x2) and Sevilla (x2).
The existence of a wider range of services also has an impact on prices, which with respect to last year are down on routes linking Madrid with Valladolid (-35%), Murcia (-33%) and Elche (-31%).
Another of the most notable decreases has taken place in the connection with Galicia, where the increase in supply has led to notable price decreases on the Madrid routes;Madrid-A Coruña (-25%), Madrid-Ourense (-18%) and Madrid-Vigo (-8%).Finally, the case of Asturias stands out, a region which, after the opening of the Pajares branch line at the end of 2023, will be connected to the high-speed network with the rest of the country. Since then, in addition to a considerable increase in the number of passengers to the Principality, prices have fallen by 17% to travel between Madrid and Gijón, and 13% between Madrid and Oviedo.
CROSFRONTIER TRAIN
Another service that continues to gain ground is the cross-border train linking our country with Franceand Portugal. París recorded a 19% increase in passengers compared to 2023 and Lyon tripled its passengers in the same period. The top 5 is completed by Oporto (+8%), Narbonne (+23%) and Perpiñán (+77%).
“Spainña is leading the transformation of the European rail sector and will continue to do so during the second phase of liberalization, which promises to further revolutionize the way of traveling in our country and the rest of the continent. We will continue to work to facilitate access to sustainable transport and promote that more and more people choose the train as their preferred option when it comes to travel”, says Pedro García, Country Manager of Trainline in Spain.
We will continue working to facilitate access to sustainable transport and promote that more and more people choose the train as their preferred option when it comes to travel”, says Pedro García, Country Manager of Trainline in Spain.