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With the arrival of spring, Renfe's luxury trains shine their evocative wagons and start engines. This new season brings with it another reason for celebration for lovers of train travel: the Transcantábrico Gran Lujo celebrates 40 years on rails.

It was the summer of 1983 when the first luxury convoy of Spain began its rattle and its history on a journey between León and Matallana de Torío. Throughout forty years of service, interrupted only by the pandemic, it has established itself as one of the most recognized tourist trains on the international scene of the most exclusive railway tourism.

In these four decades El Transcantábrico, has fulfilled the dream of a total of 60,510 passengers (80% of them internationally), according to Renfe data. The conception and birth of El Transcantábrico, the first tourist train in Spain and the first in the world in metric gauge, was a challenge in the Spanish railway scene and a risky and innovative bet to recreate the atmosphere of the Belle époque trains.

Throughout these four decades El Transcantábrico has suffered various vicissitudes in its commercialization and in its itineraries, always with the spectacular landscapes of the Cantabrian Cornice as a backdrop. Since last weekend, the train runs along the Cantabrian coast to offer an 8-day trip (seven nights) that runs, in both directions, between San Sebastian and Santiago de Compostela.

Al Andalus debuts colors

Other novelties of this season concern Al Andalus, another of the emblematic luxury tourist trains managed by Renfe and that this spring launches a new image.

The new colours of Al Andalus.

The wagons have incorporated a modernized typography and the colors that define the Al Andalus brand have been updated, which evolve towards more vivid tones, although in the same chromatic range that has singled out the train. Thus, the new image is characterized by a reddish maroon tone, characteristic of monuments such as the Alhambra in Granada, which combines with black and gold.

During the winter, the annual review of Al Andalus has involved intervention in the 15 cars that make up the composition. In all of them, bogies, traction, roof insulation and air conditioners have been dismantled and revised in depth, as well as in some elements of interior design that have needed some kind of repair. With regard to the exterior of the train, the paint of all the cars of the composition has been renewed, as well as that of the locomotive, which has been unified with all the cars.

Thus, with a newly released image, the Al Andalus resumes its 7-day trips (6 nights) for its Andalusian itinerary that, in the 2023 season, includes the city of Malaga. The trip takes place in both directions between Seville and Malaga and on its way it passes through the Andalusian provinces of Cádiz, Granada, Jaén and Córdoba.

The return of the Costa Verde Express

On May 20, the season begins for the Costa Verde Express that makes six-day itineraries (five nights), in both directions, between Bilbao and Santiago de Compostela. All trips on the luxury tourist trains include accommodation on the train, which during the nights stops at some station along the way to facilitate the rest of travelers.

Also the trips to the places located beyond the tracks, which are made by bus, and the accompanying guides, as well as a gastronomic offer worthy of the most gourmet travelers, both on board the trains, which have their own kitchen, and in the restaurants of some of the cities that are visited.

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