Between January and October of this year, Renfe has provided its services to a total of more than 434.6 million passengers, as reported by the railway company this Thursday and reported by Europa Press. The data for these first ten months of the year exceeds by 23.5% the number of passengers recorded during the same period of the previous year. Renfe has indicated that these figures respond to a consolidation of the increases registered in its services, which have achieved 83 million new customers this year.
In addition, they also highlight initiatives such as the Young Summer promotions or the free subscriptions for Cercanías, Rodalies and Media Distancia as “the main reasons why customers have chosen them.”
The railway company states that around 409 million of the total passengers correspond to journeys made on Public Service Obligations, that is, trains that perform Cercanías, Media Distancia and Avant services. The remaining 25.6 million would have used the AVE, Avlo, Alvia, Euromed and Intercity services.
Increase in train passengers.
Rail traffic in Spain in general grew by 10.7% in the first ten months of 2023 compared to the same period of the previous year, thanks, in part, to the entry of new operators, Ouigo and Iryo, as part of the liberalization process opened in Competition with Renfe. Adif explains that the growth is also due to the progressive recovery of traffic after the pandemic and the commissioning of new high-speed lines, which now exceed 4,000 kilometers of tracks, being the most extensive network in Europe and the second in the world. world.
By type of services, the most significant increase occurred in Long Distance traffic, which grew by 32.8% and, specifically, in the Adif AV network, the high-speed one, which grew by 38.8%. , consolidating the increases. with respect to pre-pandemic levels. By rail axes, on high-speed lines, the growth of 75.4% in Madrid-Levante stands out, driven by the entry of new operators and more and more high-speed kilometers in service. For its part, Cercanías and interurban traffic in this period increased by 3.3%.
Uncertainty over the strike
These data on the increase in passengers come close to the start of the Renfe workers’ strike called in protest of the Government pact between PSOE and ERC that includes the transfer of powers to Rodalies. The works councils of Renfe and Adif agreed to call a strike that will begin on November 24 due to the uncertainty generated in the workforce by the transfer of Rodalies, as well as the entry of a private company (MSC) into the capital of Renfe Mercancías.
Specifically, the Renfe strike is planned for the entire national territory during November 24 and 30 and December 1, 4 and 5, 2023 from 00:00 to 23:59 and affects all Renfe Group staff. The strikes are called during the five days mentioned, which include the beginning of the December long weekend, and affect both Cercanías and Medium Distance, Long Distance and Freight services. In Medium Distance trains the minimum services will be 65%, while in Cercanías there will be a difference between peak hours (from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.), when they will be 75%, and the rest of the day, when they will be 50%.
THE NAIS IS OFFICIAL EDITOR ON NAIS NEWS