eliminates another service and prices are through the roof

In May 2024, The Madrid-Galicia AVE was launched. After years of complaints, high speed was entering Galician territory to change the rules of the game in mobility between the two autonomous communities. We were not aware of the latter two years ago.

And it is that he AVE to Galicia He arrived surrounded by controversy. The first days were marked by delays. In order to take the trains to the Galician railway tracks, Renfe has had to use those known as Talgo S-106 or AVRIL. They are trains that can combine two different track gauges, essential in a country where the train was founded on Iberian gauge tracks and which, later, has added international gauge tracks for its high speed.

This historical peculiarity It is one of the reasons why Renfe has taken so long to arrive in Galicia and also the main reason why Ouigo and Iryo do not consider entering to compete with the company in this line. And, at the moment, Talgo trains are the only ones that provide this service. But also, as as the Galicians could see in the first days of 2025 and how the people of Madrid and Catalans have verified that move on the Madrid-Barcellona, ​​are not the most reliable trains on the market.

And despite everything, despite the fact that Renfe is looking for new partners that they offer you this “jumping the road” solution and despite the fact that Passage times are still higher than promisedthe train has managed to win the battle against the airlines.

The result: fewer tickets and very high prices.

By air, at 180 euros (in the best of cases)

Since high speed reached Madrid-Galicia, the movement capacity between both autonomous communities has skyrocketed.

We saw the first clues last summer. Iberia retracted its offer between both autonomous communities because the train, especially the early one, was more attractive despite taking four hours longer. The reasons are obvious: lower prices and easier access to the station in relatively small cities such as Vigo or Santiago de Compostela (compared to the airport).

And, adding the time to get to the airport, boarding, getting off the plane and the time it takes to get to the center of Madrid from Barajasthe traveler had spent more or less the same time but with a more uncomfortable means of transportation.

The result is that the options for flying have decreased and are less competitive. The first flight between Vigo and Madrid is the Air Europa that lands at Barajas Airport at 9:50. To that time we must add the time to get off the plane and get to the city center, which may well be an hour in the best of cases. Practically at the same time (five minutes later) the first train arrives from Vigo to Madrid but one is already inside the city.

Something similar has happened with the return trips to Madrid, although here the plane continues to win. The train, however, allows speed up time more until reaching the station from the center of the city, which results in better use of the day and greater comfort. Right now, with the decline of the airlines, only Air Europa with a flight at 9:05 p.m. allows you to take advantage of the day until the end.

Despite the decline, this air offer was still very useful for those who spend the weekend in one city or another and return late on Sunday. However, the use of the train continues to narrow the supply on airlines. As they say in Vigo LighthouseIberia has eliminated one more Sunday flight and now its offer is limited to two journeys at the end of the week.

These flights leave Vigo at 1:30 p.m. and 5:45 p.m., so they are not very competitive for those who live in Madrid during the week and travel to Galicia on the weekends. Much less so are their prices, which do not go below 180 euros and, with less supply available, dynamic prices have reached 330 euros in some cases. Furthermore, being operated by Air Nostrum with a Bombardier CRJ-1000the available places are even smaller, moving into the hundreds. Very far from the 180 places that the Airbus A320common in national trips.

The success of Renfe among Galicians has been reducing the air supply and for now only Air Europa remains firm in its commitment with 1,500 seats daily and four flights in each direction. Outside of this low cost offer, the options are minimal. And they are getting smaller and smaller.

The problem in this case is that the departure of Iberia puts even more pressure on the AVE supply on Sunday afternoon which, as in the case of the airline, does not allow you to take advantage of the afternoon because the last trip leaves before 2:00 p.m. from Vigo. Yes indeed, given dynamic prices It is possible that we will see increases in their prices because the air alternative is less. As little used as it is.

Photo | Phil Richards and Bene Riobó

In Xataka | Renfe is looking for new trains for the AVE and something much more important: not making the same mistake as with Talgo