INFRASTUCTURE manager Adif and its high-speed counterpart Adif AV have announced that high-speed operators will be able to request paths next year on three new routes opening up to competition under the second phase of market liberalisation in Spain.

Up to 32 paths a day will be available between Madrid and Galicia in northwestern Spain, whose major cities include A Coruña, Santiago de Compostela and Vigo. Between Madrid and the regions of Asturias and Cantabria on the north coast, where major cities include Oviedo, Gijón and Santander, up 24 paths a day will be available.

The route from Madrid to Cádiz and Huelva in the southern region of Andalucía is also being opened up to competition, with up to 16 paths a day available. Details of the paths have been sent to operators for consultation, prior to their publication in amended versions of the Adif and Adif AV network statements for 2026, which include the 2025-26 timetable.

As well as details of the times when paths will be available, the amended network statements will contain the timetable for allocating paths and the rules applying to this process. Supervised by the National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC), the allocation of paths is now expected to conclude at the end of 2027 with the signing of long-term framework track access agreements.

First phase

Under the first phase of market opening in Spain, framework agreements were signed in May 2020 with incumbent Renfe and new entrants Ouigo and Iryo, covering high-speed services on the Madrid - Barcelona, Madrid - Valencia, and Madrid - Seville/Málaga lines where all three companies are now competing.

According to CNMC’s second report on market opening, published on September 22, the number of seats provided on the Madrid - Barcelona line has increased by 64.8% between 2019 and 2024, by 113.1% on Madrid - Valencia, and by 52.55% on services from Madrid to Seville and Málaga.

CNMC says that passengers have benefitted the most, with high-speed fares falling by an average of 33%, excluding inflation, and passengers saving an estimated €431.3m in 2024 compared with 2019.

With total traffic on commercial services reaching 49 million in 2024, 42% up on 2019, and modal shift to high-speed rail of 900,000 passengers from air and 3.7 million from road, CNMC estimates a saving of €171.8m in external costs such as emissions, accidents, congestion and noise.

The overall result is a benefit for society calculated at €503.9m, while Adif has made a net profit of €133.3m from the increase in rail traffic and associated rise in track access income.