Renfe's monopoly comes to an end. From Monday its first competitor, Ouigo -French state company SNCF's brand- will start operating the high-speed line between Barcelona and Madrid. Since Renfe was founded in 1941, it has operated the State railway network without competition, but liberalisation of railway transport promoted by the European Union has forced it to open the market to new operators that will come to compete with Renfe in the high-speed line.