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Barcelona–Madrid ticket rises 40% after withdrawal of low-cost AVE
What began as a ‘temporary’ measure to solve technical problems has become a direct blow to people’s pockets.
Since Renfe withdrew Avlo, its low-cost service between Barcelona and Madrid, train prices have soared by 40% in just three weeks, according to Trainline data.
The country's most popular route now costs more than 80 euros on average, compared with 60 last year. Neither Ouigo nor Iryo has resisted temptation: both companies have also raised fares, taking advantage of the gap left by Avlo.
The discontinued service accounted for one in every six tickets sold on the corridor. Without it, passengers face a market with no genuinely affordable options. “The disappearance of the low-cost offering has an immediate impact on prices,” admits Pedro García, Trainline's European manager, who still hopes for a correction “for the good of travellers”.
The phenomenon confirms a paradox: despite the price rises, trains are still full. High-speed rail is enjoying its best moment in passenger numbers, although it is increasingly far removed from the spirit in which rail liberalisation was born.
Today, crossing Spain by AVE is as fast as ever. But it is also, more than ever before, more expensive.