Iryo launched
its Frecciarossa trains
on the high-speed line that connects Madrid-Valencia this Monday.
It is the third operator to open in Spain after the liberalization of the railway market and competes with Ouigo, from the French SNCF, and with Avlo, from Renfe.
Its red trains, new and with wide wagons, will carry out the Madrid-Barcelona route from this Friday and the Valencia one from December 16.
The private operator is owned by
the Spanish airline Air Nostrum, Trenitalia
(the main rail operator within Italy)
and Globalvia
, a transport infrastructure manager.
Iryo, the last to hit the market, after Avlo and Ouigo, starts with prices starting at 18 euros, somewhat higher than its competitors, which start at seven euros.
They all have a dynamic pricing system,
similar to that of the airlines, which varies based on demand.
Iryo made his first inaugural trip this Monday, with the presence of the highest representatives of the shareholders (Air Nostrum, Trenitalia and Globalvia), the infrastructure manager Adif and also
the Minister of Transport
, Raquel Sánchez, who stressed that " iryo, together with Ouigo and Renfe, already compete on equal terms in the Spanish railway system, within the liberalization process, which has made us the first on the continent with three first-rate companies providing high-speed services".
Iryo has four seat categories.
Unlike its competitors, which offer
low cost
routes , the operator of Air Nostrum and Trenitalia has new trains, with more space between seats.
All classes have individual armrests equipped with USB
and standard sockets and access to free WiFi with the possibility of 5G connection.
It is more focused on business or company travel
.
In fact, it makes a strong commitment to gastronomy.
It has its own brand, Haizea, for the cafeteria service, and Infinita, for the menu services, which can be purchased when buying the ticket.
There is a wider offer of tapas and first brands of drinks
and a selected wine list that will change in collaboration with Spanish Denominations of Origin.
Carlos Bertomeu, president of Iryo and also of Air Nostrum, has highlighted
the importance of "the customer experience" on board these trains
and has said that it is "a big day for mobility and intermobility".
"Today a journey begins and it is a project in which we have been working intensely for the last 10 years. We have flown over rails in a more technological and faster train than there is in Europe. It is the most pleasant, beautiful train and with the best service on board of all those that circulate in Spain", he highlighted during the opening ceremony.
Collaboration between Italy and Spain
Bertomeu
has highlighted that Trenitalia is the most profitable railway company in Europe
, "an internationalized group in the operation of trains and that have had a great experience in liberalization, from which they have emerged strengthened".
He recalled that Globalvia is a leader in infrastructure concessions and operates highways and railways.
Between Globalvia and Trenitalia there are 110,000 employees on their payrolls.
"At the beginning, when we started with this project, they told us we were crazy, but
we have created this project from scratch in collaboration, Spanish and Italian,
and it has the best of the Spanish and the best of the Italians," said Luigi Corradi, CEO of Trenitalia.
Raquel Sánchez highlighted Spain's commitment to high speed, which will have a network of 4,000 kilometers when the AVE service to Murcia is launched in a few weeks.
More than 60,000 million euros have been invested in the entire network, the minister pointed out.
"We are a world power in high speed, not only in kilometers of tracks, but in industrial terms, because we are exporters of knowledge and innovation.
Our companies are world leaders and we enjoy a privileged position
to compete in the market," he said. said the minister, who has stressed that liberalization allows high speed "to be accessible to citizens".
"Competition has reduced prices and has caused high speed to lose its elitist character, thanks to the fact that we have three operators, because there is better competition and that affects the rates," she said.
With the incorporation of
Iryo
to the high-speed offer, the first part of the
liberalization of the railway sector
in
Spain, which
began on December 14, 2020, is completed. Ouigo and Avlo already operate in the Barcelona corridor (where Iryo will arrive on Friday ) and in Valencia, where he will do so on December 16.
In March 2023 it will connect with
Seville, Malaga, Antequera and Córdoba and in June it will reach Alicante and Albacete
.
Its competitors have not yet specified the dates on which they will arrive at these destinations.
The objective of the operator owned by the airline Air Nostrum is to reach eight million passengers on its routes in this first phase.
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AVLO
Valencia
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Murcia
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Italy
Barcelona
Renfe
Alicante
Seville
Malaga
Albacete
Cordova