Cheap car hire Malaga Blog
Malaga car hire tips and general advice

Don’t think the Spanish airline execs didn’t pay attention in economy class. If they were dozing off, they were dreaming of ways to beat out the competition, and still are. With Iberia’s announcement of a new business-class offering for Malaga-Madrid, we can say they’re recognizing AVE’s success in the new high-speed train on this same route. Or we can say they’re just offering a new product for the benefit of the common good, but hey – we would only be putting blinders on, since informed travellers are well aware of the options and many have chosen the AVE lately.

Iberia seems to be targeting the work world with this new fare class, available for 125.37 € (~96 £) for a one-way trip, and a reduced round-trip of 226.74 € (~174 £). They claim these kinds of tickets will be available for purchase from their website (iberia.com) even on the day of the flight, making it simple for workers with quickly-changing agendas to keep up. Compare these with Renfe’s AVE one-way tickets, which float around 115 € and 135 € for their business (preferente) and first class (club) tickets, respectively.

Of course Iberia and Renfe both have economy-class tickets for this trajectory, as low as 32 € and 68 € for one-way trips. I couldn’t find any that low on Iberia’s site, but surely it has much to do with hi/lo seasons, something which doesn’t seem to affect the train system nearly as much.

Ever wondered what a high-speed train is like from the cab, or how in the world the drivers can make decisions so quickly when reaching speeds of 300 km/h? Even though the high-speed realm is relatively new to Malaga (see previous post), its inner workings are getting a workover throughout Europe. A new system is being implemented in stages to decrease reliance on and eventually eliminate track-side signals, and since this means less driver interaction, it will allow for increased speeds. When you’re going 300 km/h, you don’t have time to see a signal outside, react and make a 300-ton train slow down before reaching a switch or station. The new system with an impressive acronym (ERTMS - European Railway Traffic Management System) uses GSM-R radio signals to pull data from track sensors and communicate train positioning, velocity, braking guides and other stats to the driver and control centres. You can read more about ERTMS from the Union of the European Railway Industries, who even has videos showing this technology’s guts in a very simple manner.

Ave high-speed trains are using at least level-1 ERTMS, including those coming into Malaga. Signalling will be discussed in the next World Conference on High-Speed Sign System, which will be held in Malaga, interestingly enough. According to the Spanish government, this congress will bring together rail operators, infrastructure managers, and service providers from around the world.

Looking for alternatives to the puddle-jumper plane connections or slower regional trains? Renfe is expanding services offered in and out of Malaga by leaps and bounds, especially in regards to newer high-speed trains. December marked a large milestone with the introduction of the AVE link to Madrid, slashing the trip time and price considerably from previous offerings. This connection was largely due to the completion of the high-speed-approved section between Malaga and Cordoba.

Now, the offering has been expanded to include Barcelona and Sevilla in the high-speed range, service on both to start tomorrow. To give you an idea of the time savings, the Barcelona voyage used to take over half a day (13 ½ hours), and the Sevilla trip about 2 ½ hours. Conventional trains will still run to Sevilla alongside the new alta velocidad Avant service.