Alicante-Madrid standoff over change of terminus for Alicante trains

REGIONAL, provincial and local administrations fumed in unison on learning that Alicante-Madrid trains will finish their journey in Chamartin.

Announced in late February, the modification already adds 15 minutes to the journey and as Chamartin is further from shops and hotels than the Atocha terminus used until now, travellers must spend another quarter of an hour reaching the centre.

Adif, responsible for Spain’s rail infrastructure, maintains that Atocha will not be able to cope with trains arriving from the south once other companies join Renfe in providing a high speed rail service.

Transport minister Raquel Sanchez initially announced that Alicante trains would have to use the Chamartin terminus for the next three years, until Atocha was enlarged, but this has now been increased to eight years.

Faced with opposition from all quarters, including the Generalitat, Pedro Sanchez, president of the Spanish government, revealed that alternatives would be sought “but it doesn’t look easy.”