Budget Travel In Spain: Ouigo Offers Low-Cost High-Speed Rail Tickets

Spain is rightfully famous for its high-speed rail routes, including those offered by low-cost rail operator, Ouigo. The operator’s fame can only grow as it launches cheap train tickets for travel across Spain, which go on sale next week. Travelers can look forward to paying 9 euros to travel to popular destinations like Madrid, Barcelona, Alicante and more.

Ouigo offers cheap rail tickets across Spain from next week

Travelers planning on visiting Spain in the spring or summer of 2024 can take advantage of cheap trail tickets on routes between popular cities. This comes as Ouigo, the high-speed rail operator, announces cheap tickets on many of its routes across the country. Moreover, the operator is offering tickets from just 9 euros. Passengers will then be able to travel between cities like Madrid, Barcelona, Alicante, Valencia, Albacete, Cuenca, Zaragoza and more.

Ouigo is one of Spain’s low-cost, high-speed rail operators and is getting ahead of the competition by launching a ticket sale starting at 10 am on Tuesday, March 19. Moreover, the bargain tickets will be valid for travel until December 14.

About the low-cost, high-speed rail operator Ouigo

Ouigo has been operating in Spain since May 2021 and is to offer 10 daily departures linking the major cities. Meanwhile, prices start at 9 euros for the general rate, with only 7 euros for children from four to 13 years of age. Moreover, children under the age of three can travel for free, as is always the case.

Besides the bargain tickets, Ouigo will also expand its destinations in April by adding Valladolid and Segovia to its locations. Moreover, on June 1, the rail operator will add the historic city of Cuenca as a new stop on the Madrid-Valencia, Madrid-Alicante and Valladolid-Alicante routes.

Meanwhile, the rail operator plans to expand its services even further and will be offering 40 departures and 14 destinations in the near future.

Competition with other rail services

Ouigo competes with Spain’s state-run rail operator, Renfe, which also offers high-speed rail services. However, the National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC) has recently given the rail operator the green light to provide four daily services on the route between Madrid, Valladolid and Segovia.

The CNMC had determined that Ouigo’s new routes would not significantly reduce the income of its competitor Renfe. Moreover, it estimated that Ouigo’s operations would have an accumulated impact of 0.4 percent on Renfe’s income. This is under the 1 percent threshold that would prevent Ouigo from operating in competition with the state-run rail service.

Rail competition benefits travelers

Meanwhile, the continuing competition benefits passengers by reducing prices and leading to more special offers from Renfe and a second rail operator, Iryo. Moreover, in related news, the CNMC plans to force all rail operators to release their schedules much further in advance. This allows travelers to plan their trips and avoid any last-minute scheduling changes. Currently, Ouigo, Renfe and Iryo only allow bookings a couple of months before passengers’ journeys.

Travelers can buy tickets on the Ouigo website from March 19, with a variety of fare options to choose from.