NEW HIGH SPEED-RAIL IN ASTURIAS

A new high-speed railway line to open in Asturias 

On Wednesday 29 November, in the presence of Spanish President, Pedro Sánchez, and King Felipe VI, a new high-speed line between Madrid and Oviedo will open in the northern region of Asturias, after 19 years’ work and an investment of €4,000 million. This will be a milestone in the region’s history, allowing for faster connection between Asturias and Madrid for both locals and visitors to Spain. 

The high-speed line has been made possible by the new 50-kilometre Pajares Bypass in the Cantabrian Mountains: access through this route, 80% of which runs in tunnels, will cut travel time between Asturias and the Spanish capital by over an hour. Initially the journey time between Madrid and Oviedo will take 3 hours 58 minutes. However, when Renfe begins operating new Talgo AVRIL trains, the journey will be cut down to 2 hours 43 minutes, with at least three trains per day operating on the new route. In comparison, the current journey between Madrid and Oviedo takes travellers around 4 hours 30 minutes. 

The high-speed train will run from Madrid to Pola de Lena, stopping at Segovia, Valladolid, Palencia and León. It will then run to Mieres, Ovideo and terminate at Gijón (although the last leg between Ovideo and Gijón will no longer be high-speed, sharing its track with the local Cercanías trains). Nevertheless, the new line is a landmark for the northern Spanish region and is already being warmly received by the local community: in advance of the first commercial trains on Thursday 30 November, Renfe has already sold more than 60,000 tickets. 

For more information on transport investments in Asturias, visit here

For more information on Asturias as a tourist destination, visit here