The next opening to the Competition of the Cercanías Service and of the trains of Medium distance and avant I could modify the Spanish railway panorama, with more operators by getting to get a sector that now operates Renfe alone but also with the eventual arrival at the transport of passengers by train of the two large Spanish passenger transport companies by road, ALSA AND GRUPO ABANZAwho have expressed their “Interest” in exploring the possibility of going to tenders that the Ministry of Transport must open as too late by 2033, if it does not do so before, by 2028, as recommended by the National Commission of Markets and Competition (CNMC).
Sources from the two transport companies confirm that they are interested in attending the process of liberalization of these rail services, which They will be the continuation of the opening to the high speed competitionwith the entrance of Ouigo and Iryo as competitors of Renfe. However, this interest is not a guarantee that they will finally attend in the tenders of possible lots of rail services because, according to Alsa sources, they are waiting for Know the concrete details How the tender will be done and under what conditions and duration which must begin to be completed in a ministerial order that has been preparing for more than a year Óscar Puente. This will be decisive for an interest to materialize that its managers have not hidden in recent years. “We do not renounce to operate rail services own when conditions allow it, “said its general director in 2023, Víctor Manuel López. Last year, the president, José Cosmendeclared to The country that “we would like be in the second phase of liberalization Railway “.
Railway sources point to the Intermodality As one of the upward values in the next opening of the railroad market, of near and medium distance, and the possibility of connecting the train, in this case, with land transport. Waiting for the conditions set by the Ministry to make the tenders meet the expectations of these companies, Alsa and Grupo Avanza add to the interest of the five operators Railways who have participated in the public consultation that opened the CNMC to collect from companies, public administrations or users comments on which issues should be taken into account when opening the railroad market for nearby, medium distance and avant. Everything, if they have not already done so, since of the five responses of the operators, Renfe and the SCNF -The ‘French Renfe’, owner of Ouigo- had no qualms about making their identity public but the other three participated in a “confidential” way.
In addition to being the large passenger transport companies by road, Alsa and Grupo Avanza have in common that both have the necessary License and Security Certificate issued by the State Railway Security Agency, under the Ministry. This registry mainly include rail, passenger or merchandise operators, and more minority other than the road transport sector such as Aisa (Aisa train) or Ruiz and of more disparate sectors such as Act or Arcelor Mittal. In the case of Alsa, the license is for trains of merchandise and travelers and in the group Avanza, only for travelers.
Previous incursions in railroad
For years, the two companies operate certain railway services through subsidiariesas a prelude to what could be to make the decision to concur and to get some of the concessions that the Ministry of Transportation will be brought together for the different lots in which it distributes the amounts and medium distance services that Renfe now operates alone .
Alsa Rail operated in 2024 First Train of Merchandise And it is also present in the Light Metro of Madrid -In your line 1-, on the tram of Vélez Málaga or in the Funicular de Bulnesin addition to operating tourist trains. In 2023, Alsa reached a according to Eco Raíl With views to enter the high speed market, something that finally did not happen, and also in vicinity and medium distance, opportunities that will open shortly.
For its part, since 2016 the Avanza group has provided railway services of merchandise through its subsidiary Advanza Logistics with which a daily service of railway runners operates for goods between Valencia and Madrid and Barcelona and Zaragoza.
On the other hand and back to the transport of passengers by road, ALSA and Grupo Alavana are also immersed in the Concessional map update for which the ministry wants modernize long distance lines, reducing in number and number of stops those that are state competence and pass throughout different autonomies and transferring to the communities and concession them dependent on them the creation of lines with a greater extension in their territory.
In this process, which at the moment has the opposition of some regional governments Due to the suppression of up to 83% of the stops that are today part of state lines, it is also seen as an opportunity for international companies and smaller size To enter this market, for which they request a reform of greater draft, which replaces the current concession system – as the ministry plans to open to competition near and medium distance – for a totally liberalized one, where different companies can operate .
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