France and Italy are passing over Renfe. Your income and benefits are huge thanks to a liberalization to the letter

Forced by the European Union in a process that began in the 90s and that ended up consolidating in 2005, Renfe and Adif separated their paths. 20 years ago the separation that divided the management of trains and passengers (Renfe competition) of infrastructure maintenance (Adif competition), with the aim of fulfilling European obligations to liberalize the rail transport of people and goods on Spanish soil.

That liberalization of passenger transport did not have consolidated until 2021 when Ouigo started operating On Spanish roads. Shortly after more competition with Iro would arrive. Along the way, Renfe launched his avlohigh speed Low Cost of the Spanish company.

Since then, the four companies (and their three operators) They have fought their particular battle to conquer the public … inside and outside Spain. And it is where, everything indicates, France and Italy are passing over Renfe.

France, far ahead of any competitor

The data of the unequal result that Spain is obtaining in front of the Italian FS Italiane and, above all, the French SNCF brings them electionomista.eswhere they echo the income and, above all, the financial result they are obtaining and those that are noticed in the future.

Analyzing the financial results presented by companies, the sum of Renfe and Adif (Then we will see why this is important) have generated benefits of 280.15 million euros in 2024. However, they do not compensate for the losses of almost 353 million euros they signed in 2023.

Among the big European companies, Spain and France are the only ones that have had benefits in 2024 but it must be taken into account that the figure of FS Italiane in 2023 was extraordinarily good. And it is that its 208 million euros of losses are well compensated with the 1,100 million euros that obtained as a benefit in 2023.

That is, between 2023 and 2024, Renfe and Adif lost around 73 million euros. In that period, Italy won almost 900 million euros with its company for the exploitation of rail services.

Although the true winner is the French SNCF. The 1,310 million euros that they won in 2023 fell short if we take as a reference 2024 when the company accumulated a benefit of 1,557 million euros.

The gap It can be even greater if we take into account the volume of income. Spain adds with Renfe and Adif 5,526.45 million euros. Compared to any other country of competition is a very small figure.

Germany added with DB 26,211 million euros in revenue (although it is by far the country that loses more money, with 1.8 billion spatched in 2024). Italy stayed at 16,529 million euros but, as we have seen, the balance in the last two exercises is very positive. And France breaks the graph with 43,354 million euros of income.

A liberalization to the letter that is decisive

Although European liberalization was aimed at being talking about companies here and not countries … the truth is that we do not have to.

As we said, in Spain Renfe and Adif took separate roads in 2005. We have already seen, a company in charge of infrastructure management and another of trains and trips because, in theory, they could not be the same company to guarantee competition.

However, in Germany, France and Italy Companies that manage each type of business They have stayed together in the same group Business, which facilitates operations within the same country and serves as a barrier to entry to foreign competitors. A way of acting that, in fact, has been criticized by the European Union but has remained standing despite everything.

Among those investigations is the one that The European Commission opened To determine if the state aid received by SNCF in 2007 and 2019 comply with the legislation. The verdicts are important because Spain (which did comply by separating Renfe and Adif from root) has accused France and SNCF from dumping.

According to the government, it is the French aid that allows Ouigo to operate in Spain despite collecting losses what would reaffirm his complaint against Europe. From ouigo they have reiterated that These results are the usual in a company that is entering a new market.

This way of working has also been key to putting all possible brakes at the Spanish entrance to the French market. Renfe assures that from the Gallic country The deadlines have been dilated as possible And they have squeezed the regulations to certify that the Talgo trains with which they want to operate are not valid to reach Paris, where the great business of the French railways is located.

The obstacles are so many that Renfe, as he collects The avant -gardehe would be evaluating the neighboring country. Paloma Baena, general director of Renfe Operadora Global Strategy, arrived at demand in the French Senate equal treatment and pointed out that they did not expect to function normally until 2029 if everything followed. In 2024, Renfe demanded To the French transport regulator the same and SNCF took a pull of ears by its compatriots.

However, nothing has changed. In Germany, Italy and France, the operators of services and railway lines are working under the same business group. This, according to electionomista.esfacilitates its expansion to other areas related to public transport and other countries.

Keolis is a SNCF subsidiary and receives income abroad for services in urban and interurban transport. Eurostar squeeze the European monopoly. At this time, 38% of SNCF income They arrive from abroad. France plans to take ouigo to Italy, plan to operate in Canada and have a high speed line in Morocco.

Italy, on the other hand, has managed to enter the Lyon-Paris route and stay in the Milan-París. He intends to connect the gala capital with London and Brussels while his expansion for Germany, in Munich and Berlin is scheduled. In addition, it already has services in Spain, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands and operates four subway lines in Riad (Saudi Arabia).

For its part, Spain barely receives income that comes from outside our borders. The most profitable line is the Saudi that connects Mecca with Medina. For the rest, services in France, Italy and Czech Republic still pale before the force of SNCF or FS Italiane.

So much so that Adif and Renfe is spoken again In the same group, a claim that already last decade was valued but what has gone back before the possible loss of Talgor in foreign capital. It would be necessary to see what answer this could have from Europe, taking into account that Adif and Renfe have already separated to fulfill competition.

And, despite everything, both companies have had to face justice because Ouigo or Iro denounced a favor treatment From Adif to Renfe.

Photo | Renfe

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