Alex Trelinski
SPAIN’S rail operator Renfe has been told to scrap its direct AVE fast train service from Murcia and Alicante through to Malaga because it is a ‘failure’.
The demand comes from Murcia-based consumer group, Consumur, despite the new route via Madrid only launching on June 1.
The journey from Murcia takes around seven hours with 11 stops including Alicante, Albacete, Ciudad Real, and Cordoba.
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Departure times are 3.32pm from Murcia and 8.05am from Malaga.
Consumur president, Roberto Barcelo, said “This line has been a resounding failure with the route an absolute aberration as it takes ages to reach Murcia or Malaga.”
“It takes many hours at a high price and frankly it is also somewhat meaningless,” he added.
He argued the timetable doesn’t seem to respond to the needs of people travelling for work and is simply aimed at a ‘very specific type’ of traveller who is ‘motivated to complete a tourist itinerary’.
Consumur revealed they were rebuffed by Renfe when they asked for the route’s passenger numbers.
The rail operator responded that ‘these are commercial services that do not receive public subsidies and that revealing this information could be detrimental to the company as it operates under a competitive regime’.
There is however no such equivalent service from low-cost operators Ouigo and Iryo.
