Sign in/Register
Looking for the Professionals/Advertiser Login?
By Signing up you are agreeing with our Terms and Privacy Policy.Forgot your password?
Feedback is welcome
From March next year, French national rail board SNCF will be operating in Spain through its low-cost brand OuiGo, with express train seats set to come in at around 50% of those of RENFE – currently the only firm, and State-run, which provides this form of transport nationally, but which will cease to hold a monopoly from the end of 2020.
To celebrate the launch of its first connection – the Madrid-Barcelona express, which also stops in Zaragoza and Tarragona – OuiGo was offering 10,000 travel vouchers for €1 for the route, and its website was open to registration from 18.00 on Thursday evening (September 24).
Would-be passengers attempting to cash in on the deal took to social media to complain about how the site was constantly down, with a 'bad gateway' message appearing every time they tried to use it.
Others were concerned that they had registered, but not received the confirmation email.
It turned out all 10,000 tickets at €1 had been snapped up before 18.30, but OuiGo has announced online that further, similar offers will be launched at a later date.
The company told potential users to keep an eye on social media for news of future deals.
One customer, however, posted a letter on his Twitter page – Brasthforth65 – welcoming him to OuiGo and confirming he would receive an email within 72 hours containing a voucher to buy his €1 ticket 'once sales are open', to travel on the Madrid-Barcelona line from March 2021.
Brasthforth65 reassured other Twitter users that they 'need not panic' as yet.
After starting its services on Spain's busiest commuter line on March 15, OuiGo then intends to expand to provide links to other cities in Spain to and from Madrid – so far, Valencia, Alicante, Málaga, Sevilla and Córdoba.
Trains are double-decker Alstom Euroduplex, with 509 seats each, a bar carriage, and stewards on hand to attend to passengers.
HIGH-SPEED rail services between Spain's largest two cities and France have been snapped up by half a million passengers in less than nine months, reveals the transport board.
LOW-COST self-service petrol station chain Ballenoil plans to open a further 110 premises in Spain this year on top of the 233 it already operates nationally.
LEARNING to drive may sound as thrilling as it is daunting, but can be one of the most frustrating times in a young adult's life – and one of the most expensive, too.
EVERY now and again, Spain's traffic authority launches a campaign to remind drivers of what they should and should not be doing, or to answer common questions – such as, can drivers be fined if passengers do not...