Twelve trains will run daily between the coast and the regional capital

DIRECT high-speed rail services will start operating from Málaga to Sevilla on Wednesday, February 20. Details of the new route via Córdoba and plans for a new direct service from the south to Barcelona were revealed last week by development minister, Magdalena Álvarez.
There will be six AVE trains scheduled in each direction between Málaga and Sevilla every day, with a journey time of one hour and 55 minutes, over half an hour less than the existing Talgo rail journey. All will have a top speed of 250 kilometres per hour and make stops at Antequera, Puente Genil and Córdoba. There will be no non-stop service initially but the minister indicated that this could be introduced later, “depending on demand.”
The basic ticket price has been set at 33 euros for a one-way journey, with a 20 per cent discount if a return is booked. However, there are to be substantial discounts for frequent travellers with the fare dropping to 15.18 euros per journey for those who purchase a season ticket valid for 44 trips. There will also be a saving for people buying 20 tickets at a time.
For those only going as far as Córdoba, the one-way ticket has been set at 19.05 euros with a reduction to 8.76 euros in the 44 journey deal.
With 237 seats available on each train, the daily total of 2,844 between Málaga and Sevilla is more than double the present capacity. After passenger numbers on the Málaga to Madrid service showed increases above expectations, Renfe clearly believe that the Sevilla route will be similarly successful. In January, the number passengers travelling by rail between coast and capital totalled 117,700 - more than twice that in the same period a year ago.
A future development on the AVE network will see a new line between Antequera and Sevilla, so by-passing Córdoba. This new route, expected to be in operation during 2011, will reduce the Málaga to Sevilla journey time to just 75 minutes.

Barcelona route
The Minister also announced plans for AVE passengers from the south of Spain to be able to travel to Barcelona without having to change at Madrid. She said that a link was under consideration which would allow these services to by-pass the capital where the Atocha railway station is already saturated with traffic. The new link is expected to run from Getafe, south of Madrid on the Sevilla line, to Vallecas, south-east of the city on the Barcelona line. The Málaga to Barcelona direct service is then expected to have a journey time of around five hours, about half the present duration.

Regards