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Spain’s low cost train company Iryo launches Andalusia services

The high-speed train company Iryo began its services between Madrid and Andalusia on Friday, March 31st.

Spain’s low cost train company Iryo launches Andalusia services
Iryo launches services to between Madrid and Seville. Photo: Sekau67 / Pixabay

More than thirty years the highspeed AVE began operating in Andalusia, the low-cost offer from Iryo, privately owned by Air Nostrum, Globalvia and Trenitalia, becomes the first Renfe competitor to offer services to Córdoba, Seville and Málaga.

The Iryo high-speed train, like Renfe’s AVE, takes just two hours and 30 minutes between Seville Santa Justa and Madrid Puerta de Atocha stations. It will also connect these cities with Córdoba and Málaga en route.

READ ALSO: Three new low-cost train services launch between Málaga and Madrid

The three Andalusian routes begin to operate this Friday with four daily services, two in each direction. The company has stated that they offer schedules from early in the morning until late at night, with competitive prices in four classes.

To open the routes, the operator launched the sale of 250,000 flexible tickets at €18 to travel on any date in 2023, a promotion that ended last Sunday, March 26th. Due to these sales, the company expects an average occupancy rate of 75 percent on its trains until the end of the year.

Iryo has even predicted that occupancy will reach 100 percent on some routes, which would be “good data driven by the start of Holy Week”, according to sources from the company.

READ ALSO: The best of Spain’s Semana Santa train offers

The Iryo brand began operations in Barcelona in November 2022 and has also expanded to ​​Valencia, planning to continue opening new destinations this year. The services are due to arrive in Antequera, Alicante and Albacete on June 2nd and, Tarragona, on June 15th.

The company will also continue to increase the frequency of its services with the aim of consolidating the routes that it already has available until it has 100 percent of its fleet in operation from September 2023.

Iryo has invested more than €1 billion in its Andalusia services and plans to have a direct contribution to the Andalusian economy of €28.7 million in wages and regional taxes in 2025. It will also create 660 jobs for ground, crew, operations, maintenance and administrative personnel in this same period.

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MADRID

Madrid metro app to show carriage temperature and occupancy levels

A new feature on the Madrid Metro app will enable passengers to track real time data in order to choose the best train carriage according to temperature and occupancy levels.

Madrid metro app to show carriage temperature and occupancy levels

Anyone who is a regular user of Madrid’s metro system will be familiar with just how crowded and hot it can get during peak times, and that guessing where to stand on the platform to get onto the emptiest carriage isn’t always easy.

Fortunately, Madrid Metro has launched a new digital tool that allows metro users to find information on carriage occupancy and temperature before the trains reach the platform, allowing them to choose ahead of time the carriage they would like to travel in.

Madrid’s Regional Minister of Housing, Transport and Infrastructure, Jorge Rodrigo, stressed that the move makes up part of broader modernisation plans on the sprawling Madrid metro system.

“This digital development contributes to modernisation goals by serving the greatest number of people, improving travel conditions and reducing environmental impact,” Rodrigo said in a press release.

The occupancy and data information is obtained every 15 seconds from sensors installed in the metro carriages, and the tracking tool is available on the Madrid Metro mobile app, something already installed by more than 550,000 people. The app not only allows users to check occupancy rates and temperature levels ahead of time, but shows the location of their train.

It also offers information and advice on planning journeys across the capital, information on lifts, escalators and disability accessibility, as well as information on season tickets and fares and allows cleaning alerts to be sent via the app.

The temperature and occupancy features will initially be rolled out on Line 5, which connects Casa de Campo and Alameda de Osuna, and will be gradually extended to the rest of the network with time.

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