Early bird special between Alicante and Madrid!

The AVE really is an early bird. The high speed train whose acronym means “bird” arrives on Monday, June 17, a week earlier than expected.

It will be inaugurated by the Spanish president Mariano Rajoy. The scheduled service between Alicante and Madrid starts the following day, and for the first week travellers will pay half-price: €32.45 in tourist.  Even the regular tourist price will be only €2 dearer than the current Alvia express.

The journey will initially take 2 hours and 20 minutes, a saving of 50 minutes although by early 2014 this should be reduced to a little over two hours.

The first train will leave Alicante each weekday at 6am, getting businessmen to the centre of Madrid by 8.40 am.  In contrast the earliest plane takes off from Alicante at 9.15am, arriving at Barajas airport on the outskirts of the city an hour later.  

For weekenders, a straight-through AVE will leave Madrid on Fridays at 4.25pm, reaching Alicante at 6.45pm. A similar train will leave Alicante each Sunday at 9.15pm.