– RENFE
Renfe has reorganised the supply of Public Service trains between Murcia and Alicante, as of 20 December, due to the commissioning of the High Speed section between Murcia and Beniel. The new infrastructure allows the scheduling of Avant services, Medium Distance trains that will run on the UIC line between Murcia and Alicante.
Specifically, Renfe schedules 16 Avant services on working days, 8 in each direction, between Murcia and Alicante with intermediate stops at Beniel, Orihuela Miguel Hernández, Elx Alta Velocidad and Callosa Cox. The service will be provided with series 104 trains, each vehicle has a capacity of 237 seats including one for people with reduced mobility (PRM).
These trains are capable of reaching 250 km/h, with a journey time between Murcia and Alicante of 50 minutes, which means a saving of 40 minutes compared to the current commuter service that runs between the two cities on conventional tracks.
The C-1 commuter service between Alicante and Murcia will have 24 services on weekdays, 12 in each direction, with intermediate stops at the stations of Sant Gabriel, Torrellano, Elx Parc, Elx Carrús, Crevillent, San Isidro-Albatera-Catral, Callosa de Segura, Orihuela Miguel Hernandez and Beniel. Likewise, 12 trains will run, 6 in each direction, between Alicante and Callosa de Segura stations with the corresponding intermediate stops on the aforementioned route.
With this reorganisation, the Public Service offer (Cercanías + Avant Media Distancia) is configured with a total of 56 services, compared to the 37 suburban train frequencies that currently run. Renfe will offer 15,096 seats on weekdays, 3,792 on Avant trains and 11,300 on Cercanías trains. The weekly offer will be 96,240 seats, 24,648 on Avant and 71,592 on Cercanías trains.
The new service will have a fare exception. The Avant Media Distancia train services between Murcia and Alicante will be free of charge. Passengers will be able to travel at the fare corresponding to conventional Media Distancia services, in addition to being able to purchase a free season ticket for recurrent passengers.