A new high speed train linking two major Spanish cities will begin operating this month. The service will give travellers a quick and easy way of getting between Barcelona and Seville without having to change trains in Madrid.
The new direct AVE train service, which will be operated by Spain’s public rail service Renfe, will begin on Wednesday, April 23. Trains will leave Seville-Santa Justa every day at 6am before arriving in Barcelona-Sants at 12:41pm. They then continue to Figueres, near the French border, with the journey ending at 1.44pm. The other stops include Córdoba, Puertollano, Ciudad Real, Zaragoza, Lérida, Tarragona and Girona.
In the other direction, the train will leave Barcelona-Sants every day, except Saturdays, at 4.58pm. It will then arrive in Seville at 10.49pm with stops in Zaragoza, Madrid, and Córdoba.
According to The Local, the fastest journey will be five hours and 48 minutes. The price of a ticket for the direct train service starts at around €100 (£86.85) each way.
The other six services between Seville and Barcelona, which include changes and take between six and seven hours, will continue to operate. Travellers have the option to buy a single integrated ticket for each stop.
The addition of the direct route is part of Renfe’s strategy to enhance rail connectivity across Spain. The nation already has one of the most extensive rail networks in the whole of Europe.
The AVE trains mean that travellers have more flexibility when planning their journeys. It will make journeys between Spain’s southern and north eastern regions easier.
Low-cost operator Iryo already runs services between Seville and Barcelona which take just under six hours. Iryo previously described the Hitachi-Bombardier ETR 1000 trains as “the fastest, most modern and most sustainable train in Europe”.
Meanwhile, Ouigo does not offer the same route. However, it does sell seperate tickets from Barcelona to Madrid and then from Madrid to Sevilla, and vice-versa.