More operators for the Spanish high-speed network
21 June, 2023The Rail Infrastructure Administrator (Adif) has started the second phase of the liberalisation of high-speed passenger rail transport, a process that will reach more provinces, similar to the one that started in May 2021, opening competition in the corridors between Madrid and Catalonia, Levante and Andalusia.
The Spanish rail transport market has recently changed due to the presence of three operators and four brands - Renfe and its brands AVE and Avlo, the French Ouigo and the Spanish-Italian Iryo. And this second phase will have other differentiations, according to Adif.
It is worth mentioning that the incorporation of three new railway operators in record time is unprecedented in Europe, especially in a context of post-pandemic traffic recovery, which has also been complicated by the substantial increase in energy prices. Even so, the process of liberalisation of this means of transport continues to be satisfactory in Spain.