Spain Set To Launch Three New High-speed Rail Routes In 2026, Further Advancing Market Liberalisation

Published on October 2, 2025

Spain is taking important strides towards modernising its high-speed obstruction strategy pinch nan announcement of nan adjacent shape successful nan liberalisation of its obstruction market. The Spanish infrastructure manager, Adif, and its high-speed obstruction counterpart, Adif AV, person confirmed that 3 caller routes will beryllium opened to title starting successful 2026. This move follows nan successful implementation of nan first shape of marketplace liberalisation and is expected to bring greater efficiency, amended services, and much affordable fares to passengers, each while contributing to Spain’s economical maturation and biology sustainability.

Opening Three Key Routes to Competition

As portion of nan 2nd shape of nan marketplace opening, high-speed operators will beryllium capable to petition paths connected 3 awesome routes that link Madrid pinch different important regions successful Spain. The specifications of nan caller routes include:

Madrid to Galicia: The caller way connecting Madrid pinch nan cities of A Coruña, Santiago de Compostela, and Vigo successful nan northwestern region will person up to 32 paths a time disposable for high-speed obstruction operators.

Madrid to Asturias and Cantabria: Linking Madrid pinch bluish Spain, this way will supply up to 24 paths a time connecting cities specified arsenic Oviedo, Gijón, and Santander, further improving accessibility successful this portion of nan country.

Madrid to Andalucía: This confederate way will connection up to 16 paths a day, connecting Madrid pinch nan cities of Cádiz and Huelva, helping boost connectivity successful nan confederate region of Andalucía.

The liberalisation of these routes is simply a captious constituent of Spain’s broader strategy to create a competitive, efficient, and accessible obstruction network. The paths for these caller services person already been shared pinch operators for consultation and will beryllium formally published successful nan amended web statements for 2026. These web statements will see important specifications specified arsenic nan timetable for allocating paths, nan rules for nan process, and further guidelines for operators.

Outcomes from nan First Phase of Market Liberalisation

The first shape of Spain’s obstruction marketplace liberalisation, which began successful 2020, has already yielded awesome results, expanding title and enhancing services connected high-speed routes. This first shape saw nan signing of model agreements pinch Spain’s state-owned usability Renfe, arsenic good arsenic caller entrants Ouigo and Iryo, who began operating high-speed services connected nan celebrated Madrid – Barcelona, Madrid – Valencia, and Madrid – Seville/Málaga routes.

The effect of nan first shape has been significant. The number of seats disposable connected these high-speed routes has accrued substantially, with:

• A 64.8% summation successful spot readiness connected nan Madrid – Barcelona way betwixt 2019 and 2024.
• A 113.1% summation connected nan Madrid – Valencia route.
• A 52.55% summation connected nan Madrid – Seville and Málaga services.

These increases successful capacity person translated into a amended recreation acquisition for passengers. High-speed obstruction fares person dropped by an mean of 33%, excluding inflation, starring to important savings for consumers. The estimated savings successful fares for passengers successful 2024 compared to 2019 guidelines astatine astir €431.3 million, a reflection of nan affirmative outcomes of introducing competition.

Environmental and Economic Benefits

The liberalisation of nan high-speed obstruction marketplace has not only benefited passengers pinch much affordable recreation options but has besides contributed importantly to Spain’s biology goals. With accrued title and much obstruction services, nan full number of commercialized passengers connected high-speed trains reached 49 cardinal successful 2024—an summation of 42% compared to 2019. This displacement to obstruction has contributed to a simplification successful c emissions, pinch 900,000 passengers shifting from aerial recreation to high-speed obstruction and 3.7 cardinal passengers switching from roadworthy transport. This modal displacement has resulted successful estimated savings of €171.8 cardinal successful outer costs specified arsenic reduced emissions, roadworthy accidents, and postulation congestion.

The wide societal use of this modulation has been estimated astatine €503.9 million. This has been a affirmative result not only for nan situation but besides for Spain’s economy, arsenic Adif has made a nett profit of €133.3 cardinal from nan summation successful obstruction postulation and nan emergence successful way entree income.

Looking Ahead: The Future of Spain’s High-Speed Rail Network

The 2nd shape of marketplace liberalisation, which will unfastened up these caller routes for competition, is expected to build connected nan occurrence of nan first phase. The government’s continued committedness to improving nan obstruction assemblage is portion of a larger effort to modernise Spain’s carrier infrastructure, making it much sustainable, efficient, and competitory connected a world scale.

The upcoming liberalisation of nan La Dorada – Chiriguaná railway statement and nan continued description of high-speed services are group to summation Spain’s connectivity and reenforce nan country’s position arsenic a leader successful high-speed rail. The ongoing title successful nan marketplace will not only use consumers pinch little prices and amended services but will besides lend to a much sustainable carrier future.

With nan 2nd shape of marketplace liberalisation group to statesman successful 2026, Spain’s obstruction strategy is moving towards an moreover much interconnected, affordable, and competitory future, benefiting some passengers and nan environment.