Today The AVE To Galicia Is Inaugurated: 16 Years Of Works And 9 Billion Euros Of Investment

Renfe

King Felipe VI and the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, today make the AVE to Galicia’s inaugural journey. The high-speed train will connect Madrid with this region after more than 16 years of planning and works and an investment of 9 billion euros for 440 km of track.

Today sees the opening of the section between Pedralba de la Pradería (Zamora) and Ourense, which is 119.4 kilometres long and has involved an investment of approximately 2.965 billion euros. It provides continuity to the section commissioned just over a year ago between Zamora and Pedralba de la Pradería.

Thanks to the opening of this line, the journey time between Madrid and Ourense will now be two hours and 15 minutes, to Vigo 4 hours and 16 minutes, to Pontevedra 4 hours, to Santiago 3 hours and 20 minutes, to A Coruña 3 hours and 51 minutes and to Lugo 4 hours and 46 minutes. All these times will be reduced by 20 minutes with the future arrival of Talgo’s 106 series trains, known as Avril. They will also make it possible to reach Ourense and continue on to the rest of the Galician cities without the need to change trains.

Renfe’s aim is that the share of journeys between Madrid and Galicia, now only 20% for trains and 80% for aeroplanes, will become 50% for each of these modes of transport, enabling it to be decarbonised. In addition, Renfe will also put its low-cost train, Avlo, into operation on this line. The first train with passengers will leave Ourense on Tuesday at 6.30am, arriving in Madrid at 8.45am.

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