The National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC) has resolved that the high-speed rail operator Ouigo will be able to operate three daily services between Córdoba and Seville, where it will operate during the second half of 2024, after concluding that the new services do not compromise The economic balance of the public service contract between Renfe Viajeros and the Ministry of Transport.
The balance test prepared by the supervisor concludes that the new service of the Spanish subsidiary of the French national railway company (SNCF) would have an impact of 0.07% on the income of the public service contract, which – added to the The impact of other services previously analyzed by the CNMC shows a cumulative incidence of 0.21%. This figure is less than the 1% established by the CNMC methodology to conclude that new services may have a significant impact on the contract.
The green light from Competition comes after the French operator has opened the sale of tickets until December 14 on all its routes, including three new destinations: Segovia, Valladolid and Cuenca, the latter still pending receiving the corresponding authorization. CNMC to stop starting in June. Same month in which it hopes to take its trains to upcoming cities such as Elche and Murcia in June. Looking ahead to the second half of the year, it plans to break into the Andalusian scene where Renfe and Iryo now compete, to operate on the routes of Córdoba, Seville and Málaga.
The general director of Ouigo Spain, Hélène Valenzuela, took advantage of the business balance that the company made yesterday in front of the media to remember the effort that the company has made to homologate its trains to adapt them to the technical conditions of the tracks in the south of Spain. Once the technical obstacles were overcome and his team of machinists was prepared, Valenzuela stressed that his arrival in Andalusia will completely change the price scenario that has been seen during this holy week: “People are waiting for the arrival of Ouigo to see a lower real information on prices in the south.
