Alex on… rail travel between London and Spain

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  • Anonymous
    Guest

    London to Barcelona and Madrid in a day – by train

    For the first time ever you can leave London mid-morning by Eurostar, change in Paris and reach Barcelona and Madrid the same day.

    This development has been possible thanks to section of high-speed track which opened on January 9 between Figueres (on the Franco-Spanish border) and Barcelona. This has cut one hour off the previous fastest journey times.

    Journey times will be improved further in April when through Paris-Barcelona high-speed services are expected to start.

    Right now passengers take the French TGV from Paris as far as Figueres Vilfant where there’s a simple cross-platform change to a Spanish high-speed AVE waiting to whisk you on to Barcelona and Madrid.

    Now I am not seriously suggesting that UK readers shun the plane for the train when visiting Spain on business. But the new train service will interest rail fans and it does offer something different.

    Taking the train could also make your trip more cost-effective should you be visiting both Paris and one of the above-named Spanish cities on the same trip.

    So Paris (Lyon) to Barcelona (Sants) now takes around 6 hrs 35 mins, including the change at Figueres Vilafant, with Paris-Madrid (Atocha) taking 9 hrs 55 mins.

    There are two daily services out of Paris. The first departs at 0715, reaches Barcelona at 1348 to arrive in Madrid at 1710.

    The second (which would connect with Eurostar from London) leaves at 1407, into Barcelona at 2048 and into Madrid at 0002.

    On the return you leave Madrid at 0550 and Barcelona at 0905 for an arrival into Paris at 1553 allowing ample time to link with London-bound Eurostar trains. The second service departs at 1310 from Madrid, 1615 from Barcelona to reach Paris at 2245.

    Alex McWhirter


    LuganoPirate
    Participant

    “Taking the train could also make your trip more cost-effective should you be visiting both Paris and one of the above-named Spanish cities on the same trip.”

    And not only Paris and Spain. Nice to see more articles on European rail travel Alex, may it continue and be expanded.

    Once you get through the Tunnel, rail travel can be very effective from both a time and cost perspective and ticketing is fairly easy and straightforward.

    We often forget that a lot of business is also done outside the main capitals and it’s here that train travel comes into its own. A typical journey for me could be: Lugano -Basel – Strasbourg – Metz – Luxembourg – Brussels – Rotterdam – Cologne – Frankfurt – Offenburg – Lugano. Try that by plane on a time and cost basis and I think you’ll agree the train is the best way to go!


    Cedric_Statherby
    Participant

    @LP

    I agree entirely, and with air travel (and especially airports) so wearying and tiresome, I have formed the AAA club. It is nothing to do with credit ratings, but stands for Any Alternative to Air travel, and so far I have sampled the boats between Helsinki, Tallinn and Stockholm, the trains between Prague-Bratislava-Budapest-Vienna and between Paris and Madrid (the sleeper service is extremely comfortable), and the Norwegian railways line from Oslo to Trondheim to Bodø.

    All highly recommended, and to prove that the AAA does not only concern itself with Europe, I supplemented them recently with a business trip from Montevideo to Buenos Aires by car and ferry across the Rio de la Plata. Which was simply superb.


    transtraxman
    Participant

    The “other Atlantic” connection to Spain is due to open in 2016 – though this is expected to be delayed. When it is operative the distance from Paris to Madrid will be much less making the journey time much shorter.

    The RENFE “Tren-Hotel” from Paris to Madrid already runs overnight through Irun and Vitoria. This leaves Paris Austerlitz 18.08 hrs arriving at Madrid at 09.40hrs. (15hrs. 32 mins.)

    The lines through Hendaye/Irun and the “Basque Y” system will initially connect the frontier with Bilbao and Vitoria. Some sections are already finished. All the rest are being constructed with the exception of the entries to the cities.

    By that date (2016??) the line should be continuous from Madrid to Burgos with only the section from Burgos to Vitoria lacking.

    At present the French TGV link at Irun/Hendaye with trains of variable axles that can run on the Spanish gauge to Valladolid. from there they continue on Standard gauge to Madrid. The travel time at present from Irun to Madrid is about 5.5hrs. When the whole system is complete they estimate 3.5hrs. (about 500 kms.).

    For the parts of the system which will take time to finish they have decided to add a third rail to the Spanish lines facilitating the running of standard gauge trains.

    The “Basque Y” system is designed for running both passenger and freight services.


    TerryMcManus24
    Participant

    My fav destination has always been Amsterdam and so easy from LCY but years ago I used to take the “boat train”although the train didn’t actually go on the boat as in bye gone days.(Harwich)

    The ships were a bit rusty but like the old channel crossings.. all good fun.

    Recently noticed and saw a video that shows that they have introduced new super modern ships which give the impression…”Must have a go”…Another opportunity if not in a rush to really enjoy a journey….looks good from Liverpool St.

    http://www.stenaline.co.uk/ferry/rail-and-sail/holland/


    lloydah
    Participant

    I use them all the time Terry and can thoroughly recommend them.

    Hello Alex

    I have to be in Madrid next Thursday, so I had a look at prices for above service. €300 +/- for a o/w from Luxembourg. So, I’m afraid I will be flying.

    Having said that, I would love to try it in future. You just can’t beat the sensation of high-speed trains.


    TerryMcManus24
    Participant

    The Future in Rail travel….and who invented the concept..

    Couple of years ago took the opportunity to pay a quick visit to Shanghai and of course had to try the famous MAGLEV.

    At the time it went from the airport to Pudong but believe that it may now go into the center of the City.

    Not to be missed and the fare was less than 5 quid return.

    Seem to remember reading the speedo at 400 klms/hr but believe that it goes faster when it warms up…we are soooo far behind

    http://www.smtdc.com/en/index.asp


    AMcWhirter
    Participant

    Hi alexpo1

    Thanks for the feedback. High-speed rail within mainland Europe can be expensive when a) more than one operator is involved and b) when passengers cross frontiers.

    This lack of integration between the operators is something which I am covering in our March issue. It pushes up fares and can make ticketing difficult.

    In the case of Luxembourg to Madrid, a passenger has to take an SNCF TGV to Paris Est, cross the city to Paris Lyon, then take another SNCF TGV from Paris Lyon to Figeures where he or she switches to the Spanish AVE to Madrid.

    But at least, in Luxembourg, tgv-europe.com will quote a through fare for the trip and let you book it online.

    Here in the UK, raileurope.co.uk (SNCF’s marketing office for the UK)
    does not quote any timings or any fares for daytime London to Barcelona/Madrid services via Paris even though these new daytime timings have been available for over three weeks.

    Prospective passengers must telephone Raileurope for advice.

    Alex McWhirter


    AMcWhirter
    Participant

    It appears that the direct and daytime high-speed train services linking France and Spain will not commence on schedule.

    For example, through running by high-speed trains between Paris and Barcelona was supposed to have started this month.

    At present, passengers must change at Figueres (at the Franco-Spanish border) from the French TGV to a Spanish fast train. Which not only results in a slightly longer journey time but may also mean passengers have to purchase separate tickets.

    This situation will continue for the time being.

    Reports in a local Perpignan online newspaper suggest that the through service will not start until the end of May at the earliest owing to a number technical problems.

    http://www.lindependant.fr/2013/04/12/lgv-encore-un-retard-pour-la-connexion-transfrontaliere,1744628.php

    But depending on what these ‘technical problems’ are, the new daytime through services may be further delayed.

    In the meantime the systems of SNCF (France) and RENFE (Spain) cannot accept bookings beyond May 29 for the Paris-Figueres-Barcelona daytime train service.

    This is not good when you consider we are running into the busy travel season.


    Shearer
    Participant

    My pals travelled on RENFE high speed from Malaga to Cordoba and *raved* about it.

    Funny isn’t it? Rail travel now provides the excitement that air travel used to.


    AMcWhirter
    Participant

    I quite agree, NIRscot. Far more exciting than a new air route or plane type.

    The latest news, I have discovered, is that these through Paris-Barcelona high-speed trains will not now start until the autumn at the earliest.

    According to this report a few hours ago on la-clau.net, that following a meeting of the French and Spanish technical teams the opening has been postponed until sometime from September onwards.

    http://www.la-clau.net/info/8197/le-tgv-perpignan-barcelone-reporte-a-lautomne-8197

    As reported earlier, there are technical problems in running the high-speed trains across borders. These seem to relate to power supply and problems with the sophisticated signalling which is installed on high-speed tracks.

    http://www.la-clau.net/info/tensions-franco-espagnoles-sur-le-tgv-perpignan-barcelone-8156


    SimonS1
    Participant

    I do prefer the train, a more civilised way to travel these days especially for leisure.

    However for the London to Madrid trip Alex outlines the associated risk of having to buy two or even three tickets, the lack of clarity over what happens if one of the trains is late meaning a connection is missed, and arriving in Madrid after midnight make it all a bit of a non-runner for me.

    In fact with the wrong ticket it could be all over before it starts – I saw a guy at Haywards Heath station this morning who was in the process of missing his Eurostar connection because all trains into London from Sussex were suspended for 2 hours due to a fire.


    MartynSinclair
    Participant

    When will the different rail companies manage to resolve the cross company ticketing issues? As Alexpo1 points out and I recently found out for a trip to Germany, unless business pax are incentivized by a cost savings, the train will not become a viable option. Higher ticket prices AND longer journey times, will not work. Lower ticket prices and longer journey times, will probably work, based on the reduction of the AHF (airport hassle factor).

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