Ana Pastor, the national Minister for Development, has announced that as from 2013 her department will slash ticket prices on all AVE (high speed trains) as they are currently “astronomically high”.
Ana told TVE1 today that despite Spain having an efficient and fast high speed train network, the trains are running half empty as people just can’t afford the ticket prices.
The news came after a national survey by her Ministry identified 175 AVE stations which saw fewer than five passengers a day, a hundred or so more which saw between five and 10 passengers a day, and several which saw only “a couple of passengers a year”.
The new pricing structure will slash tickets dramatically, and on certain commuter lines the price could drop to as little as 4,50€ a ticket, according to intital reports, with the Goverment heavily subsidising these tickets.
“Bums on seats” seems to be the new motto, with the Government determined to fill the trains. Rather than selling a dozen tickets at 80€, they’d prefer to sell a couple of hundred at 5€.
Are you sure you read the report correctly? 175 AVE stations? Really? I doubt there are 35 in total!
btw have you ever come across anyone who’s travelled on those mythical “empty” ave trains?
That’s what the Ministry says! http://economia.elpais.com/economia/2012/12/20/agencias/1355994386_065439.html
Remember, Spain’s got the second largest high speed train network in the world after China. Remember the long distance AVE lines are lumped in with the high speed second tier AVE commuter lines.