Record number of high-speed trains link Malaga and Madrid and this is the new timetable

A record number of high-speed trains are to link Malaga and Madrid from this Thursday 15 June. In total there will be up to 18 daily departures in each direction provided by the three operators competing on the line: AVE and AVLO, both belonging to the state operator Renfe group; and the private company Iryo.

Iryo, a Spanish-Italian company, is increasing its services between Malaga's María Zambrano station and Madrid's Atocha from tomorrow with up to five trains in each direction. It began operations with two frequencies a day on 31 March. Subsequently, it was extended to three in April and to four in May.

Throughout the summer, the company will provide this increased service on its striking trains, the Frecciarossa (red arrow). These services, with 460 seats (2,300 a day in each direction), will continue at least through July and August and into early September.

"Iryo is very positive about these months of operation in Andalucía, where demand continues to rise, as does the level of occupancy of the trains, and the response from the Andalusian people has been extraordinary," said an Iryo spokesperson.

"Iryo was the first operator to break the rail monopoly in Andalucía and we believe that, as in Barcelona and Valencia, the liberalisation of the sector will also increase the number of passengers in Malaga," the spokesperson added.

The latest CNMC report indicates that in those destinations where there are several rail operators, demand has grown between 60 and 120% year-on-year. However, it should be remembered that after the pandemic, Renfe's service (the only operator at the time) suffered greatly due to a shortage of staff and engines, so that its Malaga-Madrid service was reduced to between nine and eleven trains in each direction, a situation that continued until recently.

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But have prices really come down thanks to the arrival of competition? That is the question on the minds of most users, and those intending to take the train this summer. In a search carried out on 13 June for travel this weekend (16-18 June), Iryo offered seats on Friday for a minimum of 52.80 euros (one way) and 54 euros return. Meanwhile, on the AVE there is a cheap option, for 33.90 euros, although most of the schedules cost 76.30 euros. AVLO has a few free seats costing 85 euros. Therefore, prices in general have been reduced and are a far cry from the summer of last year, when on any given weekend you could pay 100 euros or more for each journey (that is, 200 euros return).

Prices are likely to drop further with the arrival of Ouigo, when there will be up to 20 frequencies per day between Madrid and Malaga. This moment is eagerly awaited by travellers, since the French operator is a native 'low cost' service, offering tickets between 15 and 30 euros on all routes where it is already operating (Barcelona, Valencia, Zaragoza and Alicante).

The commercial proposal for Malaga has not yet been finalised, as it will coexist with that of Seville and the company has a total of five train slots for both provincial cities. It is expected that there will be two daily return services between Atocha and María Zambrano. The bad news is that this service is still being tested and the commercial opening is not expected until the second half of next year, i.e. between June and December 2024.