New Flights and Trains in Spain
Spanish Transport Links Set to Improve in 2008
The high-speed train network is expanding to Malaga, Valladolid and Barcelona, and low cost airlines are adding destinations within Spain and around Europe
Trains
December 22nd and 23rd see the launch of the AVE high-speed train lines from Madrid to Segovia and Valladolid, and from Madrid to Malaga. The new routes from Renfe, Spain’s national rail company, drastically cut journey times.
The spectacular town of Segovia is now only 35 minutes from the Spanish capital, which is 54 miles away, compared to two hours on the normal train service. The AVE to Segovia costs 20.60 one way, but in February a different model of high-speed train will be introduced, the Avant, which can reach speeds of up to 156 miles a hour, with much lower fares of around eight euros.
The city of Valladolid, a distance of 93 miles, is just 55 minutes away, with a single fare of 31.50 euros, making it an easy day trip from Madrid. Valladolid is the capital of the Castilla-León region and is well worth visiting for the National Sculpture Museum and the Patio Herreriano Spanish Contemporary Art Museum.
The high-speed train link between Madrid and Barcelona has suffered neverending engineering problems, but is scheduled to start running in March 2008. The standard fare has been set at 100 euros single, with discounts for booking ahead online, but will also rise substantially at peak times, with a maximum fare of 250 euros. These prices make the AVE trains much cheaper than the Iberia flight shuttle service, but still more expensive than the Spanish low-cost airlines such as Vueling. However, the possibility of travelling from train stations in the centre of Madrid and Barcelona, rather than trekking out to the airport, make the trains a very attractive prospect. Journey time will be under three hours, compared to a minimum of four and a half on the regular service.
Flights
Easyjet, the low-cost British airline, launched six new routes from its Madrid hub at the end of October, to Fuerteventura and Lanzarote in the Canary Islands, Palma de Mallorca in the Balearic Islands, and also to Paris, Lisbon and Bucharest. From Barcelona, it started flying to Belfast and East Midlands in the UK, and also Lyon in France. In April 2008, Easyjet is taking over all GB Airways routes, which will mean extra flights fo Alicante and Malaga.
Vueling has opened a new hub in Seville, with flights to Barcelona, Bilbao and Valencia in Spain, and to Amsterdam, Brussels, Lisbon, Milan, Paris and Rome in Europe. The airline has added three new destinations from Madrid, flying to Nice, Bologna and Brussels, and has increased its services to Barcelona and Amsterdam, with seven flights daily.
Ryanair expanded its Madrid hub at the end of October, with new routes to Girona and Santander in Spain, as well as Frankfurt, Liverpool and Sardinia. In early December, it started flying between Alicante and East Midlands and Bournemouth in the UK, and also to Milan, Billund in Denmark and Gothemburg in Sweden. At the end of March it launches new routes from Alicante to Shannon in Ireland and Pisa in Italy. It also starts flights between Glasgow and Reus, south of Barcelona, and from London and Dublin to Almería in Andalucía.
