The mayor of Elche, Carlos González Serna, of the PSOE, announced yesterday that Renfe is going to put into circulation a new daily frequency in each direction between that town in Alicante and Madrid, with an exit in Orihuela, in the month of March, within the future line of AVE Puerta de Atocha-Murcia. The start-up of this new frequency has been communicated by letter to the mayor from the president of the public entity Renfe, in response to a recent letter from Carlos González requesting an increase in the frequency of the high-speed connection between Elche and Madrid, according to municipal sources in a press release.
There are currently two trains in each direction between Elche and Madrid on the AVE Madrid-Puerta de Atocha-Murcia connection, on weekdays, and one train in each direction on weekends. From the Renfe company they explain that these services have had, over the past year, an average occupancy of 32% of the seats offered and an “even more favorable” evolution of demand is expected.
According to the councilor of Elche, the line is in a period of consolidation until the completion of the access works to the city of Murcia.
156,000 travelers
Since the launch of the Madrid-Elche-Orihuela high-speed line, nearly 156,000 passengers have been registered. Of these, 18% correspond to users who have used the Matola station. “During the first year of operation, the route has had 28,000 passengers, on a line that is in consolidation and in a complex year due to the coronavirus pandemic, it is a positive figure that will improve with the increase in frequency that Renfe has announced” , said the socialist mayor of Elche.
“This is good data considering that the vast majority of these travelers are only from Elche or towns very close to our city.” Some travelers come from the Region of Murcia, who travel to Orihuela in order to catch the high-speed train that they still do not have in their land.