Simon Wade
ORIHUELA train station has served almost 40,000 passengers in its first year of operation.
On the anniversary of the route to Madrid via Alicante, the mayor of Orihuela, Emilio Bascuñana, took stock of the service that takes only two hours 22 minutes to reach Spain’s capital.
He commented on the service being: “a boost for our tourism positioning ourselves in the national arena, by becoming part of the AVE ‘Network of Cities’.
Currently, the station provides four daily services, with Bascuñana claiming: “we are still waiting to have more services provided by Renfe.”
A meeting is planned so that data from the University of Alicante can be studied to measure additional demand for the Madrid route.
Regarding the 40,000 passengers figure, Bascuñana said: “The figure could be higher if we had a Holy Week, the Moors & Christians festival, or a summer season without restrictions.”
On a positive note, he stressed that the city’s stop was: “a milestone in history that cost a lot to achieve, but finally became a reality and positioned Orihuela as a reference station in the Vega Baja.”
Adding: “there are more and more passengers who decide to make their trips from Orihuela station, and we are going to continue working to provide a better service and with more frequencies to cater for the demand.”
