The French operator Ouigo, which offers high-speed trains at low cost, will begin to provide service on the line that connects Madrid with Albacete and Alicante from April 27 and has already put the first tickets on sale starting at 9 euros. It will operate two daily frequencies in each direction and will offer a total of 28,000 weekly spaces.
The trains of the ‘low fare’ operator will take less than two and a half hours to complete the entire journey between Madrid and Alicante, which will be linked point to point by two daily trains in each direction. Trains to Alicante will depart from Chamartín station at 10:15 a.m. to 12:51 p.m. to arrive at the city of light at 12:35 p.m. to 3:11 p.m. In the opposite direction, the departure from Alicante will take place at 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., with arrivals in Madrid at 4:23 p.m. and 6:21 p.m.
Tickets from 9 euros
Ticket sales for this new route are now open, and their prices start at 9 euros for adults. In addition, it offers a flat rate of 5 euros for children between 4 and 13 years of age, and free tickets for children up to 3 years of age who do not occupy a seat. The trains available through Ouigo for this route are the ones with the highest capacity in the Spanish high-speed network, with 509 seats spread over two heights which, if operated with double trains, can offer up to 1,018 seats per journey.
With this new route, Ouigo is expanding its presence in the Valencian Community, where it has been since last October when it launched three daily frequencies (6 routes) between Madrid and Valencia-Joaquín Sorolla. Thus, it complies with the requirements agreed with Adif in the rail transport liberalization process, since it attended with the intention of offering five daily frequencies (10 journeys) in the Levante corridor.
Alicante and Albacete thus increase the offer of destinations of the French operator, present on the Spanish tracks since it began operating trains between Madrid and Barcelona in May 2021. Its expansion plan will be completed in 2024, when it plants its trains on the Andalucía high-speed line and offers trains to Córdoba, Seville and Málaga. In this period it has transported more than 5 million passengers.