Ouigo expands its service from Barcelona with a connection to Seville

BarcelonaHigh-speed rail continues to add more routes. Ouigo was the operator that inaugurated liberalization in Spain, launching the route between Barcelona and Madrid in mid-2021. Four years later, the numbers speak for themselves, with a drop in ticket prices and an unprecedented increase in ridership, filling stations to capacity. With the corridor between the two capitals beginning to show signs of wear, the French company, a subsidiary of the SNCF group, will launch a new connection that will allow passengers to reach Seville without changing trains.

Ouigo will offer a daily service between Barcelona and Seville starting December 14, stopping in Zaragoza, Madrid, and Córdoba. From Barcelona, ​​the train will depart at 7:30 a.m. and arrive around 2:00 p.m., with a journey time of just over six hours. From Seville, the departure will be at 5:00 p.m.

With 360,000 seats scheduled annually, this new route will allow the French operator to add an additional connection between Barcelona and Madrid (six daily), as well as between Madrid and Seville (five daily). "It was in Barcelona that we initiated the process of liberalization and democratization of high-speed rail. Now, with this new connection, we are confident of repeating the success," said Ouigo's general manager, Hélène Valenzuela.

The SNCF subsidiary will complement the four daily services offered by Renfe on the Barcelona-Seville corridor. In that case, two of them don't pass through Atocha. The route is also offered by the Italian company Iryo, with two daily runs, stopping in Madrid. In just one year, the connection between Andalusia and Catalonia has increased its ridership sixfold, considering the commitment made by all operators to open routes connecting to southern cities such as Seville, Malaga, and Cordoba. Ouigo will still need to reach Malaga from the Catalan capital, a route it currently only offers directly to Renfe.

Closer to profits

Since its arrival in Spain, Ouigo has welcomed 20 million passengers on the 15 routes it operates. Half have originated in or destined for Catalonia. The company's arrival in Spain has entailed an investment of 700 million euros, of which 550 million euros have been allocated to the 16 trains it operates, which have arrived after years of operating in France.

With the launch of routes to Andalusia at the beginning of the year, which has entailed an investment of 40 million euros, the operator will achieve positive EBITDA (earnings before taxes, depreciation, and interest) this year, although it has not yet set a date for when it will be able to stop recording these figures. With revenues of 164 million euros, it lost 40.5 million euros last year.

These are red inks that all operators will find it easier to overcome with the rise in ticket prices that is beginning to be recorded, accelerating, after the elimination of AVLO trains between Barcelona and Madrid, the largest corridor in Spain. According to data from the Trainline ticket purchasing platform, all operators they have shot prices by 40% in just one month.