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Pedro Blanco highlights that Renfe offers 170,000 weekly places in Galicia, 16,500 more than before the pandemic

02/10/2023
Pedro Blanco highlights that Renfe offers 170,000 weekly places in Galicia, 16,500 more than before the pandemic

The delegate noted that since September 2022, Renfe’s services offer has increased by 12,500 weekly places in Media Distancia services. 98.4% of the services provided prior to the pandemic have already been replaced. It was pointed out that this October the supply of services and places between Vigo-Guixar and Vilagarcía will increase. The increase in demand recorded in recent months, which led to the mobilisation of all the rolling stock available in Galicia, is largely due to the gratuitousness of the subscriptions approved by the Government.

The government delegate in Galicia, Pedro Blanco, reported that Renfe is currently offering 169,558 weekly places in Galicia, which represents some 16,500 more than in 2019, before the pandemic. He did so in the course of a meeting with representatives of the Renfe Media Distancia user platform in Galicia, who conveyed their demands to improve the railway service in the community. The delegate promised to send them to the Ministry of Transport, especially those related to the increase of frequencies, since, as he recalled, they are contemplated in the contract that the operator Renfe has signed with the State.


Pedro Blanco pointed out that since September 2022 the offer of places in Galicia increased by 12,500 weekly, while pointing out that 98.4% of the services existing before the pandemic, including commercial and medium-distance services, were reinstated; a percentage that reaches up to 100% in the case of the Neighbourhoods services of the Metric Width line between Ferrol and Ortigueira. It also advanced that this month of October will increase the offer of services and places between Vigo-Guixar and Vilagarcía.

The government delegate also highlighted the conclusions of the survey carried out between September and October last year among travellers on the suitability of the schedules, conclusions that reinforce Renfe’s thesis that the current schedules are those of majority preference of the clientele, since 56% of the people surveyed recognized that the current schedules are correct and only 18% would incorporate modifications.

The delegate stressed that the current situation is related to the considerable increase in the influx of travelers caused by the gratuitousness of the subscriptions approved by the Government. To date, Renfe has issued 57,000 recurring subscriptions for travel in the Neighbourhoods and Media Distancia services of Galicia, as well as Avant services during the last four months of the year.

However, he insisted that the Government is putting all the means to respond to the needs of Galicians and Galicians, as evidenced by the fact that all available rolling stock is currently in circulation (which also implies less room for manoeuvre before specific technical incidents in vehicles) or that on Fridays 12 trains in double composition are put on sale.