Else Beekman
A direct high-speed train connection between the southern Spanish cities of Màlaga and Murcia, which are just over 400 kilometres apart would be nice. Per AVE you could theoretically be there in 2 hours. And even better because that route would significantly shorten the travel time by train between Málaga and the rest of the Spanish east coast and cities such as Alicante, Valencia and Barcelona.
The pity is that the new route announced as a direct connection by high-speed train between Málaga, Murcia and Alicante goes via Madrid. A detour of almost 1,000 km. The outrage and ridicule did not wait long after Renfe announced the news to the world. One of the responses came from user @mausvicente on platform X. He questions the logic and efficiency of this new route.
Criticism from users
He expressed his frustration in the tweet: “Is it really necessary to go via Madrid to travel from Murcia to Málaga? This is completely nonsensical.” He included an image of the Spanish railway map with the message, clearly showing the detour.
Esta es la vuelta que va a dar el tren entre la 6ª y la 7ª ciudades más pobladas de España https://t.co/PgSfcVCwrI pic.twitter.com/2JjXlacjpA
— ✨ Maus ✨ (@mausvicente) May 13, 2024
Details of the new route
Renfe has announced that from June 1, two daily AVE trains will run in both directions between Murcia and Málaga, with stops in Madrid, Alicante and other cities. Despite the expectation that the route would be more direct and faster, this new connection turns out to be longer and more time-consuming. This has led to many complaints from regular users of the service.
Long travel times and costs
The first train is scheduled to leave Málaga at 8.05 am, with stops in Madrid and Alicante, finally arriving in Murcia at 2.37 pm. This means a total travel time of more than six hours. The return journey from Murcia to Málaga, which starts at 3.32 pm, takes almost seven hours. Renfe’s initiative to offer more travel options and improve connections between different cities is therefore overshadowed by criticism of the inefficiency of the chosen route. Moreover, prices vary between €84 and €90 per single journey. This has also led to negative reactions about the relationship between costs and benefits of this service.
Widely shared dissatisfaction
The outrage expressed in @mausvicente’s tweet is widely shared and supported by many other users on social media. They demand more direct and fast routes that better meet travellers’ expectations.
Also read: Madrid to Lisbon with AVE