The Italians are here.

On Friday at 9:15 a.m., a "Frecciarossa" (Red Arrow) from Madrid rolled into Barcelona-Sants express station for the first time - five more followed during the course of the day.

The Spanish high-speed network is becoming more colorful and cheaper for passengers.

Hans Christian Roessler

Political correspondent for the Iberian Peninsula and the Maghreb based in Madrid.

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The AVE trains of the state railway company Renfe have had competition.

20 years after the first AVE raced from Madrid to Seville, two foreign providers are also operating in the country, whose trains to the Mediterranean coast are a cheap alternative.

Prices have fallen by almost 50 percent

Before the "Frecciarossa" of the Italian-Spanish joint venture Iryo, the TGVs from Ouigo started almost a year and a half ago.

The French state railway SNCF is in charge.

Valencia followed the connection to Barcelona, ​​and from the beginning of 2023 it should also go to Alicante.

The two-story Ouigo trains initially attracted attention not only because of their low prices, but also because of their technical breakdowns.

The previous Spanish monopolist Renfe reacted in June 2021 with its own low-cost offer.

The train is called Avlo and runs from Madrid to Barcelona and Valencia.

Since then, passenger numbers to Barcelona have tripled.

Iryo does not see itself as a pure low-cost provider.

There are several classes in the 20 “Red Arrows” – including one with leather seats and a menu at the seat.

In March, Iryo is the first foreign operator to head for Andalusia.

On the route from Madrid to Barcelona, ​​the tact becomes increasingly dense.

In addition to the daily 55 AVE and Avlo trains, the foreign operators will bring 45 more trains onto the rails.

According to the Trainline ticket platform, prices have fallen by almost 50 percent as a result.

The providers hope to bring even more passengers onto the rails who previously drove by car or took the plane.

But the Spanish network still has big gaps.

The high-speed train connection to the north has not yet been completed, and there is only a tourist train to neighboring Portugal.