It looks like the Madrid to Alicante AVE high speed train line is going to be popular. At least if its first day is anything to go by.
In fact, on the first day of service this week the Madrid to Alicante AVE high speed train line had more than 5,200 passengers on board and another 31,000 people have already bought tickets for future trains.
The inauguration of the new line was overseen by Prince Felipe and Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, with various ministers and other officials also in attendance at the ceremony.
Renfe, the Spanish railway company running the AVE system, is using two train models for the Madrid to Alicante AVE train line. The S-100 and the S-112, with the latter able to carry 41 more seated passengers than the S-100. Standing room on both trains is around the same.
Both trains will travel at speeds up to 300 kilometers per hour from Madrid to Albacete, and then up to 200 kilometers per hour from Albacete to Alicante.
The total time from Madrid to Alicante, or vice versa, is 2 hours and 20 minutes, 50 minutes less than previous trains could do it in. Now that is exciting.
Don’t forget too, this is just the start for the high speed train system.
The Madrid to Alicante AVE high speed train line is ultimately going to be part of an entire network of high speed trains called the ‘Madrid-Levante’ line that will link a number of cities in the region by train. Thus making it faster for Spaniards, and anyone visiting the region, to get where they need to go.