THE HIGH-SPEED national rail service known as the 'AVE' will connect to Granada for the first time later this month – firstly with fast links to Madrid and Barcelona, then later directly to Málaga and Sevilla.
Transport board RENFE says the AVE will be on track in the Alhambra Palace city from Wednesday, June 26, and will allow passengers to reach Spain's capital within three hours and five minutes.
By car, the 420-kilometre journey would take around four-and-a-quarter hours, so catching the train saves an hour and 10 minutes.
Acting minister for public works José Luis Ábalos says June 26 will be 'a big day for Granada', since it has 'suffered many years of being cut off' with no decent rail connections.
This transport isolation was, in the words of Granada's mayor Francisco Cuenca, 'unacceptable', especially given that the south-eastern city is home to Spain's most-visited monument and welcomes millions of tourists every year.
But Ábalos has 'given priority to Granada's needs', Cuenca says.
He calls the AVE link's imminent opening 'great news' and says that the fact tickets are already on sale offer certainty that the train connection is not just a 'false promise'.
His feelings of being reassured are echoed by head of the provincial government, or Diputación de Granada – a State organisation mainly concerned with infrastructure, particularly roads and public transport networks.
Diputación chairman José Entrena says minister Ábalos has been 'the first' of all politicians in his role who has 'not tried to fob Granada off' whenever the subject of rail travel was raised.
Ábalos has been open and honest and has not 'manipulated' the people of the province with ever-moving dates, Entrena says.
The minister has warned that any unexpected obstacles in the final leg of the train link's creation – such as during the process of training drivers to adapt to high-tech, high-speed rail – may lead to the due date of June 26 being put back, but that the situation would be 'communicated as quickly as possible'.
He says work has started on what will eventually be the lines connecting Granada to Málaga and Sevilla.
