UPS AND DOWNS OF HIGH SPEED TRAINS

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In light of the successful launch and operation of the high speed train between Madrid and Alicante, train operator RENFE has added an additional two trains each way to the weekend schedule, providing an additional 1,460 seats.

In addition to that, the company has also said that they will be extending their special launch offers, with 50% off normal ticket prices, until the end of the summer.

In the first month of operations, the high speed train between Alicante and Madrid has carried a record 150,000 passengers, 40% more than was carried by the traditional service on the same route. Despite special offers of 50% discount on tickets, RENFE´s revenues have actually increased by 55% over the route for the month, compared to the same time last year, using the normal service pattern. The current estimate is that the service will carry up to 2 million passengers per year by the end of the first annum.

But as popularity can be a curse, good intentions may have caused a problem for train operator RENFE this week, when they changed one of the trains operating on the Madrid to Alicante route to one with higher capacity, it would appear that nobody told the passenger seat reservation system, resulting in 663 passengers on board a Madrid bound service suffering a delay whilst staff tried to sit everybody down in 730 seat, Talgo S-112, rather than the scheduled Almston S-100.

Staff worked to minimise disruption, with many passengers refusing to move to their correct seat, others then trying to find somewhere more suitable to spend the next two and a half hours, but as a result of the 19 minute delay to the service, RENFE has offered a 50% refund to passengers who were delayed on this service.

The next day, another 12 coach train had problems of its own, with one of the carriages suffering a breakdown in the air conditioning, which meant that RENFE gave 28 passengers who were sat in that vehicle a 100% refund, due to their “lack of comfort”.

Filed under: http://www.theleader.info/article/39912/

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