Passenger numbers on Cercanías suburban services in Madrid increased 2.1% and there was also a 3.7% rise in ridership on the Rodalies suburban network in Barcelona, which carried 65 million passengers. Ridership on Cercanías services elsewhere in Spain increased 2% year-on-year to 35 million.
On the high-speed network, long-distance Ave services saw a 4.2% rise in passenger numbers, reaching 11.1 million, while Avant regional services carried 4.5 million passengers, a 2.7% increase. A In addition, 3 million passengers travelled on Avant services which operate over both high-speed and conventional lines.
Renfe says it expects full-year ridership to exceed the 507 million passengers carried in 2018.
Renfe is now preparing for the opening of the commercial and Public Service Obligation (PSO) passenger rail markets in Spain in December 2020, which will end the operator’s monopoly status.
