RENFE To Launch Avlo Low-Cost High Speed Rail For Everyone
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.
The title says it all and it looks like the Spanish are going the way of the French.
As High Speed Rail networks get larger,and able to handle more trains, it appears that the train operators, run out of premium passengers and turn to other markets.
SNCF have already launched a low-cost service called Ouigo, so it looks like the Spanish are following along similar lines.
In some ways is rail following air travel with low-cost companies offering a more affordable service.
On the whole, the UK, will find it more difficult to offer these services, as we don’t have the rail capacity. In part, this is due to the late development of high speed lines like High Speed Two.
But competitive services using a low-cost model are running or in development.
- Grand Central between London and Bradford and London and Sunderland.
- Hull Trains between London and Hull
- First East Coast Trains between London and Edinburgh.
- Grand Union between London and Wales and London and Stirling.
It should be noted that First East Coast Trains and Hull Trains will be running similar new Hitachi trains to the dominant operator on the route; LNER.
But then Ryanair and easyJet fly similar planes to British Airways and Air France!
Conclusion
It does appear that low-cost operators are providing competition, just as they have done with the airlines.
The Anonymous Widower 