Low-cost Ouigo to Madrid

Low-cost train operator Ouigo has set a date for ticket sales for its high-speed trains from Malaga to Madrid.

The second private operator competing for passengers on price will be offering low coat travel between the two regional capitals alongside Renfre and Iryo.

Tickets are due to be put on sale now that the French operator has concluded its summer trials. The actual date of the first trains is yet to be revealed, but what is known is that Ouigo will put into service this autumn its fleet of double-decker Alstom Euroduplex trains, with 509 seats making it one of the largest capacity trains in the World.

Low cost fares on Ouigo, children’s tickets €7.

That capacity for passengers is what makes its low pricing policy such an interesting option for those wishing to pop into Madrid for the day. Additionally, children up to 14 years old can travel with a fixed price of €7 when accompanied by an adult, and babies travel for free. Despite being a low-cost service, the trains have a buffet car just like their competition does.

The opening up of the train market in Spain ends decades of a state monopoly in which Renfe’s AVE service was regarded as travel option for the well-off only. With the addition of Ouigo trains, the options for travelling to Madrid will come to a total of 10 trains per day, plus 10 returning.