A BRAND new high-speed train will soon link two of Spain’s most popular cities, giving holidaymakers a cheaper way to travel than flying.
With the route set to go into effect by the end of the year, travelling between Barcelona and Malaga is going to get a lot easier.
The service would transport customers to their destination in less than six hours, leaving once daily from each location.
Trains will depart at 11.50am from Barcelona and 11.35am from Malaga.
The route is an expansion of the Barcelona to Seville low-cost carrier Iryo’s line, which debuted in December 2023.
A single ticket for a trip in December currently costs about €24, which is significantly less than the roughly €62 cost of a comparable service with AVE.
Also, it should be less expensive than flying.
Ryanair now has return flights between the two cities for just €42 in December, but that ticket only covers an under-seat bag.
On the train, it covers a carry-on bag as well as a small suitcase.
The service will launch on December 15, and tickets for the remainder of the month and into 2025 are already on sale.
With Christmas just 15 weeks away, now’s the time to get on track for the best deals on train travel.
Tickets have just been released, so here’s how to make the most of your budget when you travel to see family or friends in the festive period.
RAISE THE ALARM: If you know your destination and dates of travel, then set up alerts at thetrainline.com/ticketalert to be notified when the cheapest advance tickets go on sale.
Acting fast can mean some serious savings.
ASK FOR EXTRA: Contact train operators directly to ask about new or exclusive offers. Sometimes customer service agents can make you aware of deals that are not widely promoted.
Don’t forget to check out Megatrain at megabus.com for routes as low as £5.
SPLIT THE BILL: Use split-ticketing websites like mytrainpal.com or splitmyfare.co.uk to break your journey into segments and save.
You can also compare the cost of return tickets against two single tickets — it can sometimes be cheaper to buy two singles.
SCORE SNEAKY CASHBACK: Book your train travel through the Uber app and get ten per cent back in Uber credit to use on future train trips or taxi rides — thus turning your train booking into even more savings.
USE A RAILCARD: Get a third off rail travel by using a railcard.
