The high-speed header to Alicante and Murcia is moved to the Chamartín station

Adif Alta Velocidad does not give in to political pressure and maintains the decision to transfer the head of the high-speed services between Madrid and Alicante and between the capital and Murcia to the Madrid Chamartín Clara Campoamor station. This decision comes as a response to the increase in supply within the framework of the liberalization of the sector and as planned for several years.

It should be remembered that the PP senator Pablo Ruz criticized this decision during a control session of the Government in the Upper House, and complained to the Minister of Transport, Raquel Sánchez, of the change, accusing the Government of making “territorial grievances” to the Valencian Community. The holder of the portfolio rejected this idea and recalled that the Chamartín station is in the heart of the financial center of the city of Madrid and has “direct access to the airport” of the capital. The discussion later reached the municipal corporations, such as that of Albacete, which unleashed a political row.

Be that as it may, the decision has been made and, as of September 13, the services will change their location, with the exception of four daily trains in each direction, which will head to Madrid-Puerta de Atocha. Two of them will start their operation in September and another two in December.

Adif AV and the operators Renfe, Ouigo and Iryo have held a dialogue in recent months to analyze the technical possibilities of maintaining the Alicante and Murcia services from the Madrid-Puerta de Atocha station, instead of moving it, as agreed in 2020, in order to push their disposition and fit into their business plans, says the infrastructure manager.

The plan designed in 2020 to organize the circulation of trains between Madrid and Levante responds to a technical analysis of the capacity of the Atocha and Chamartín terminals and aims to respond to the needs of the liberalization of the sector and increase by 50% the traffic to accommodate new entrants. The plan originates from the Informative Study of 2007.

less than 10 minutes

The location of the head in Chamartín increases travel times by less than 10 minutes on direct trains between Madrid and Alicante and achieves greater time savings in transversal services. Renfe traffic to Valencia will continue to operate temporarily from Atocha.