Ouigo surpasses, in half a year, one million travelers between Barcelona and Madrid

Ouigo, the high-speed train operator of the French group SNCF, has surpassed one million passengers transported in Spain, in the connection service between Barcelona and Madrid, since the start of operations last May 10. The company values that this objective was initially planned for the end of the year and that it has achieved it "five weeks ahead of schedule".

The French operator has recorded an average occupancy of 97% in its double-decker trains that can transport 509 people per trip, the highest capacity of the high-speed rail service in Spain. A rate that rose to 99% in August and October, according to Ouigo's data. Likewise, of the million registered passengers, 160,000 users traveled as a family and approximately 70,000 travelers were under 13 years old.

In this sense, the company also highlights the changes registered in the type of passengers who have used the service in any of the five daily frequencies it offers to connect Barcelona and Madrid in each direction, and that have stops in Zaragoza and Tarragona. This last destination will be available again starting December 12, prior to the Christmas holidays, and throughout 2022 with one stop per day in each direction and two extra on weekends in the summer months.

A sign of the new passenger profile is that, while "before the line was mainly limited to transporting business travelers," currently on Ouigo trains 62% of users are under 45 years old. The operator attributes a good part of this reorientation to its pricing policy, since the flat rate of five euros for children from 4 to 13 years old has been very competitive and the free tickets for children under 4 years old, which have also encouraged more families to choose to travel, the company assures.

The company plans to open a new rail axis between Madrid and Valencia, in 2022

Hélène Valenzuela, general director of Ouigo Spain, states that "the fact that a company unknown in Spain a year ago reaches a million travelers in a matter of months, demonstrates that we have brought that sustainable and digital mobility that the country longed for. We are proud to have opened the doors of high-speed rail to all types of budgets, including families and young people who, since our arrival, can enjoy all the advantages of the train at affordable prices, without having to give up the quality of service and product."

In a year, a third competitor is expected to enter the game in the Barcelona-Madrid railway corridor, as a result of the sector's liberalization process. This is Iryo, a new rival for Ouigo and Renfe that aims to dominate 30% of the market and whose trains will be able to travel at 360 kilometers per hour. Iryo's shareholders are Trenitalia and Air Nostrum.