typicallyspanish.com

Spain News : Andalucía : Costa del Sol
+ Larger Font | + Smaller Font
Spanish Prime Minister opens high speed train line from Madrid to Málaga
By h.b. - Dec 26, 2007 - 1:51 PM
ALSO SEE : • Vueling cancels Madrid Málaga flights as the AVE train gets upto speed - Jan 19, 2008 - 6:52 PM
• New Málaga high speed rail line to Madrid still suffering delays - Jan 1, 2008 - 2:24 PM

The Prime Minister and other politicians in a photo taken on arrival at the María Zambrano Station in Málaga after the trip from Madrid - Photo EFE
enlarge photo

The tourist authorities on the Costa del Sol hope the train will be used by people in the capital who want to go to the beach, but there have been several teething problems on the new line
The Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, was on board the first AVE high speed train to run from Madrid to Málaga today (Sunday). The train left Atocha station in Madrid at 10am and arrived in Málaga at 1233 after a brief stop in Córdoba where the Prime Minister was joined by the President of the Junta de Andalucia, Manuel Chaves. It arrived in Málaga ten minutes ahead of the expected time.

Also on board was the Minister for Development, herself from Málaga, Magdalena Álvarez, the Secretary of State for Infrastructures, Victor Morlán, the President of the ADIF railway infrastructure company, Antonio González, and of RENFE, Jose Salgueiro.

The Prime Minister in Málaga with the President of the Junta de Andalucía, Manuel Chaves and the Minister for Development, Magdalena Álvarez - Photo EFE
enlarge photo

The inaugural journey was carried out on a Siemens S103 train which is capable of travelling at 350 kms/hour. It’s the quickest train on the Spanish high speed network. On his arrival in Málaga the Prime Minister described the train as ‘authentic pride for Spain’ and said that Andalucía had led the change seen in Spain since its joining of the European Union.

Journey time on the new route has been set at two hours 30 minutes for non stop services and 25 minutes more for trains which stop enroute. 11 trains will cover the line in each direction daily, a number which is increased to 13 on Fridays and reduced to ten on Sundays and nine on Saturdays.

Ticket price is 76 € single, but there are discounts for advance internet booking which can take the price down to as low as 30 € 50 cents.

It came the day after the Zapatero also officially opened the other new AVE high speed train line from Madrid to Valladolid.
After the photos in Málaga the Prime Minister made his way to the airport and flew back to Madrid in an official plane, while the rest of the politicians returned on the train. A statement from the Moncloa said Zapatero had a ‘private meal’ to return for.

The 7,10 AVE service from Málaga to Madrid on December 26th arrived 40 minutes late as the train stopped short of Córdoba when it failed to correctly read the signalling system on the Sevilla to Madrid stretch of the line. This older track uses a different signalling method that the Córdoba to Málaga link. It meant that RENFE were obliged to return the ticket price to the 281 passengers on the train.

El Mundo has reported that the delay to the 2pm AVE from Málaga on Boxing Day was even greater, with the train arriving in Madrid one hour 40 minutes late. Travellers have told the paper that the train stopped and started on the Málaga – Córdoba strech, the TV’s did not work, there was no water in the bathroom taps, and the oven in the cafeteria had broken.

Currently on the new lines to Málaga and Valladolid RENFE returns half the ticket price for a 15 minute delay and all the ticket price for delays of more than 30 minutes. On established AVE lines a full refund is given if trains are more than 5 minutes late on arrival.

Meanwhile the Ministry for Development has said that a new AVE Málaga to Sevilla service, via Córdoba, will be launched in February. It will cut current journey time of two and a half hours to an hour and a half and will remain in service until 2010 when a new direct AVE line between Sevilla and the Costa del Sol will reduce journey time to just 55 minutes.

RENFE Website

---

TVSpain.tv


 smartphone/pda/iphone |  email this article |  printer friendly page

 del.icio.us |  digg |  technorati |  yahoo | Stumble It!
Facebook | Reddit | Newsvine | Meneame | Wikio | Blink

ALSO SEE :
• Vueling cancels Madrid Málaga flights as the AVE train gets upto speed - Jan 19, 2008 - 6:52 PM
• New Málaga high speed rail line to Madrid still suffering delays - Jan 1, 2008 - 2:24 PM
• Málaga Renfe yards completes its first AVE high speed train - Dec 18, 2007 - 8:45 AM
• More than 10,000 tickets sold for Madrid-Málaga AVE high speed service - Dec 11, 2007 - 8:20 AM
• Málaga village demands seven million Euro in compensation for damage during the AVE high speed line construction - Dec 2, 2007 - 1:12 PM
• Minister tests the AVE track into Málaga and announces discount prices for advance booking - Nov 19, 2007 - 3:48 PM
• AVE train reaches 330 km/hour of the new line to Málaga - Nov 17, 2007 - 7:57 PM
• More problems for the AVE high speed train line into Málaga - Nov 10, 2007 - 9:20 AM
• Another injury in the AVE construction in Málaga - Jun 8, 2007 - 8:33 AM
• AVE high speed train celebrates 15 years in Spain - Apr 22, 2007 - 9:52 AM