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New "low cost" high speed trains coming to Spain in April!

Hello :)

I saw this today in the local Spanish newspaper and thought it would be helpful for future travelers to Spain:
https://elpais.com/economia/2019/12/10/actualidad/1576003462_319721.html (use the Google web page translate feature)

Basically a new "low cost" version of the AVE, called AVLO, will begin service April 6th 2020, on the Madrid - Zaragoza - Barcelona line. With tickets available for prepurchase in January. Further low cost AVLO service will be progressively expanded throughout 2020-2021. The official price has not yet been revealed, but it will be somewhere around 50% of the normal AVE ticket price. The AVLO will have only one class and will have more per-train capacity than the AVE.

This comes on the heels of the recent big news, that the French SNCF and the Italian ILSA-Trenitalia railway companies have announced that they will begin operating high-speed trains in Spain starting in 2021.

The bottom line: It's about to get a whole lot cheaper and easier to jet around Spain on a high speed train!


UPDATE (16/12/19) - The official pricing has been released for the new low cost high-speed trains, AVLO, by RENFE. From Barcelona to Madrid tickets will start as low as €10!

You can read more about the update here (In English): Introducing Spain’s new low-cost AVE: €10 tickets for Barcelona to Madrid

Posted by
1586 posts

Well then Carlos that will also increase tourism en España which is muy bueno for the economy. Aren't you happy of this news? Much appreciation for keeping us inform of the latest current events happening in Tu país. España is trending right now.

Posted by
4180 posts

Hi Rjean, while we get more annual tourists than our total population, tourism accounts for only around 12% of Spain's GDP. This is not to detract from tourism's positive and negative impacts, but you'll find there's more to Spain's economy than tourists dollars. Spain is the second largest automotive producer in Europe, behind Germany, and is also a big producer/exporter of renewable energy technologies, wind power is actually our main energy source.

Posted by
1586 posts

That is excellent Carlos! The country is progressing very well. Once again you have empowered me with information I wasn't aware of. The future is very bright for Spain. What's your take in living in Spain for a retiree? I have traveled to Andalusia quite a bit recently in order to look at cities for relocation once i retire. What's the healthcare system like over there?

Posted by
1586 posts

Carlos - Muchas gracias for this valuable information. The numbers bold well for a retiree. I feel more confident now about moving to Spain. I do have to fine tune my Spanish though, lol. I am proficient en español but not fluent at least not yet.