A little over a month ago, I had an appointment at the Hungarian Embassy in Madrid to do some paperwork. Everything went well, and by now they already sent me the documents by mail. But let me tell you, I wanted to go and pick them up in person because the high-speed train journey to Madrid is always a pleasant experience, but the embassy said that it wasn't necessary and that it would be easier for them to send the documents to me. Well, that is true but they don't know how much I love the rails and flying trains. 😁
It would take me almost five hours by car to get there, and by high-speed train, you can get there in two and a half hours! Of course, if I go alone, this is a much better option, there's no doubt about that. From an economic point of view too. Admittedly, last year when I went, I paid quite a lot, but I was paid by the organizer of the concert I went to. Also, at that time I didn't even know that it would be possible to find such a cheap option for the same (or almost the same) service. Instead of 160€ for a return ticket if I had travelled with the most famous Spanish carrier Renfe, this time my ticket cost 34€ (also a return ticket) with another company. Today we will find out what this cheaper option is and what the differences are compared to the expensive ride.
To travel from Alicante to Madrid, you can choose from a few high-speed trains. The companies that offer their services are Renfe, AVLO, and OUIGO. The most striking difference is the price. You can catch almost every hour a Renfe train to Madrid; fewer times OUIGO, but luckily, I needed exactly the time that this company offered. I think that is what made me spot this option and in the end, choose it.
It was still so dark when I passed the control and arrived at the platform. My train was scheduled for 07:53, with the arrival time at 10:23 at the Chamartín train station in Madrid. Just perfect, as I could walk to the Hungarian Embassy without any rush.
Left or right? Which one to choose? Of course, the one I have the ticket for! :D
Let's go, the motto of OUIGO, so indeed, let's go, let's enter this coach.
My ticket. You can see that it was coach number 7, the number of my seat was 6E and that I was on Tierra (land). That is one of the biggest differences between Renfe and UOIGO that the wagons of the latter have two floors. When I was coming back in the afternoon, I had my seat in the "sky" part.
Because of this feature, having two floors and also a somewhat smaller space when it comes to seats, these trains can have approximately 590 seats per train, and from here comes the difference in price. They can carry more passengers and therefore be more competitive in price compared to other companies.
Another difference is that the train I travelled with last year (Renfe) had catering and bar service on board. It was super easy and comfortable to buy my coffee without moving from my seat. This time, if I wanted a cup of coffee or some snack, I would have to go to a different wagon, to the cafeteria car.
Some small differences that can be noticed, but for that difference in price, would you opt for the more expensive company or the cheaper one? The time you need to get to Madrid is the same!
Speaking about speed, all of them can "fly" at a similar speed, around 300km per hour.
When I finished the work I had in Madrid and made a little stroll, it was time to go to the Chamartín train station and catch my train back to Alicante. This station has already been under maintenance work for some years... it is still a mess, so many passengers are waiting in the same hall but let's hope they will finish it one day.
While waiting for my train, I could charge my phone as did so many other passengers. Taking care of which one is my cable and phone. 😂
Some 10 minutes before the train was scheduled, the board showed the number of the gate and the platform. There was my flying train waiting for its passengers.
I noticed the differences in comfort and cosiness, but all in all, it was not a thing that would make me choose differently the next time I have to travel to Madrid. And when it will be...? I just need to find an excuse and that's it. 😁
