The Tourism Board calls for a temporary 43% reduction in AVE ticket fares.

The Spanish Tourism Board is requesting a 43% reduction in AVE train fares while the service does not match the usual high-speed times. They are asking the concessionary companies for a temporary reduction in fares for the High-Speed Train services until the normal train circulation times are fully restored with complete safety assurance. They state that "currently, travelers are paying the full price for a High-Speed Service that, in practice, is not being provided. The reason is the speed restrictions on various sections of the network due to safety alerts that the Adamuz accident has revealed."

The Tourism Board explains that, according to their calculations, under normal conditions the price of the journey equates to 0.42 euros per minute of High-Speed travel (63 euros/150 minutes). However, in the current situation, the actual cost has risen to 0.23 euros per minute (63 euros/270 minutes), meaning that travelers are overpaying by 27.6 euros (0.23 euros x 120 minutes). Based on this difference, the average ticket price should be 35.4 euros, meaning it should be reduced by 43.8% until the original travel times are restored.

Furthermore, they believe that the railway companies should not be adversely affected by this reduction but should demand that Adif adjusts its infrastructure usage fee to the service that is actually being provided. They also warn that this same criterion should be applied to the rest of the affected routes to estimate the appropriate discount for each. "The fact is that travel times have significantly increased on key routes such as—among others—the Madrid-Barcelona, which has gone from two and a half hours (150 minutes) to four and a half hours (270 minutes). However, the average fare remains at 63 euros, which represents a clear imbalance between price and service," they emphasize.

35.4

is the average ticket price that, according to the Tourism Board, the AVE should cost while the speed reduction is maintained and the journey time is extended.

The president of the Tourism Board, Juan Molas, has expressed his deep sorrow for the tragedy in Adamuz, remembering that "the victims and their families must come first and that it is essential to prevent such an event from happening again." He also pointed out that "tourism in general, both Spanish and international, must travel with all guarantees and, meanwhile, it is reasonable that the fares be adjusted to the reality: a High-Speed that today is not should not be charged as if it were." In this sense, he reiterates that the absolute priority is to ensure the safety of the railway network and to restore normality as soon as possible. However, given that the speed restrictions might continue, this measure of equity in the prices of a service that has temporarily ceased to be "high-speed" is demanded.