Europa Press Seville

Seville

Updated Friday, March 22, 2024-12:28

This Friday , the Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility,

Óscar Puente

, called for "reflection" on the part of operators that have entered the Spanish railway market, such as

Ouigo

, to carry out

"fair competition"

that does not lead to with its pricing policy to the "annihilation of the adversary."

In an interview on Cadena SER collected by Europa Press, the minister made this statement after the "quite intense controversy" that, as he acknowledged, this past Thursday pitted him against Ouigo, a French company that Óscar Puente accused of starting a

price war

that is dragging the public operator Renfe to poor economic results.

The minister's criticism is mainly directed at the requests that Ouigo has made on several occasions for

Adif

to lower the rates (fees) it charges for the use of the roads. However, the company has assured that it hopes to be profitable soon.

Óscar Puente acknowledged this Friday that he is "belligerent on the issue of prices with these operators", although he values ​​that "the liberalization of certain railway corridors" - specifically, "the most profitable ones", as he pointed out - " It has been good for two things"; to increase supply "a lot" and to lower prices, he elaborated before adding that, however, "it has dragged everyone into a dynamic of losses."

ACCUSE OUIGO OF DOING 'DUMPING' WITH PRICES SO LOW

Along these lines, the minister has denounced that "entering, as Ouigo has entered, with prices below cost, clearly making 'dumping', has dragged, for example, Iryo

,

which is a competitor that came to compete in the of quality, with new trains, Japanese trains, with high comfort, also to that dynamic of lowering prices, below what is reasonable, and that has also happened with Renfe".

"And this is what is not reasonable," stated Óscar Puente, who pointed out that what he is saying "is that the competition must be fair, and must not engage in practices that lead or attempt to lead to the annihilation of the adversary." , so he advocates that "price competition" be

"healthy and reasonable"

.

To know more

Economic News.

Ouigo responds to Óscar Puente's warnings: "This is the first time we have been criticized for setting low prices"

  • Editor: CÉSAR URRUTIA MADRID

Ouigo responds to Óscar Puente's warnings: "This is the first time we have been criticized for setting low prices"

Interest rates.

Helene Valenzuela: "I am neither the Michael O'Leary of high speed nor is Ouigo Ryanair, I want the customer to be comfortable"

  • Editor: CÉSAR URRUTIA

Helene Valenzuela: "I am neither the Michael O'Leary of high speed nor is Ouigo Ryanair, I want the customer to be comfortable"

In line, he has considered that "prices of long-distance high-speed corridors at seven and nine euros is unsustainable", and has warned that "the accounts" of the companies that are reflected "in the Commercial Registry" show that "

Ouigo It has 95 million euros of losses in its first three years"

, so that "the policy that is being followed does not seem to be very reasonable."

The minister added that he wants to draw the attention of the operators to "redirect this", and has maintained that they cannot ask for a reduction in fees "when you are lowering prices." "It makes no sense if you defend that you can charge seven euros for a high-speed train trip," he has reasoned in this regard.

CONCERN ABOUT THE "SUSTAINABILITY" OF THE SYSTEM

The Minister of Transport has stressed that he is "concerned about the sustainability of the system in the medium and long term, and these policies in the short term are very effective, but in the medium and long term they are useless", which is why he has insisted on make "a call for reflection from the operators that have entered to compete in Spain" so that they "be more reasonable."

Furthermore, he has warned that

"reciprocity does not exist

. "

"We are trying to enter France, we have done it in some corridor," and "we have had many difficulties." "They haven't given us any facilities," he complained at that point.

Óscar Puente concluded his reflection by pointing out that he wants "the user not to see just the tip of the iceberg, to say, 'the ticket costs me less, so this is going well'", because "we have to think about the sustainability of the system in the medium and long term, because the train is very important," he stated.