Readers who contacted us about the high cost of Spanish high-speed rail will be delighted to see Avlo’s tariffs.
Last month we reported on plans by Spain’s Renfe to introduce low-cost high-speed Avlo trains with the first route being Madrid-Barcelona.
As we explained Renfe had decided to counter competition from France’s SNCF which intends to bring its Ouigo low-cost train to the Spanish domestic market.
Avlo and Ouigo both emulate low-cost carriers with their pricing models.
Today El Pais reports that Avlo tickets will go on sale this coming Monday with introductory one-way prices starting from €5.
This initial offer will last for ten days. One thousand tickets will be made available daily and will be valid for travel between April 6 and August 31.
Once the initial offer finishes tickets will be sold at regular prices of between €10 and €60 one-way depending on the time, date and when the ticket is bought.
These prices are well below the prices Renfe charges for its existing AVE services and will undercut airlines on this busy domestic route.
El Pais quotes regular AVE one-way prices ranging between €40.95 and €152.
However readers must note that, like Ouigo, Avlo is based on the low-cost business model. It means there will be charges for certain things, like luggage (but not hand luggage), which rail travellers traditionally take for granted.
Avlo has its own website. It becomes operational on Monday January 27 at 1300 local time.
Remember to look out for our feature on Europe’s lesser-known trains appearing in the April issue.
