HIGH-SPEED trains will soon run from the Costa Blanca to the far north-western region of Galicia, covering 928 kilometres (577 miles) in just five hours.
National rail board RENFE reveals the AVE line to Ourense – capital of Galicia's only land-locked province, just above the Portuguese border – will set off from Alicante for the first time on September 13.
This has been made possible thanks to an express train tunnel opening between Madrid's two largest stations, Atocha and Chamartín, allowing the AVE to cut straight through the capital.
Before, the ultra-fast rail service was able to run from Madrid to the west and north-west, or east and south-east, but anyone wanting to travel right across the country would have to book two trains and change in the capital.
They would need to catch a metro, or underground train, from Atocha to Chamartín to head west, or Chamartín to Atocha to go east, adding extra inconvenience and journey time, as well as waiting around – the two AVE rides would have to be booked far enough apart in time to allow for delays in crossing the city.
Now, passengers will just sit on the same train from departure to destination.
The AVE line to Ourense only opened on December 21 last year, so it has only been on track for eight months, but is already set to be one of the best-connected routes on the express network.
RENFE is exploring linking the Ourense AVE to Valencia, also on the east coast and around 200 kilometres north of Alicante.
As yet, Ourense is the only destination in Galicia on the express line, since the region's other cities farther north have a different, narrower track network which is not suitable for the AVE, meaning anyone travelling from Madrid to the rest of Galicia would have to change onto a slower train at its southernmost provincial capital.
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