Renfe's first Lyon-Barcelona trains arrive in France to compete with SNCF

The first trains run by the Spanish rail company Renfe have Thursday connected the French city of Lyon to Barcelona. Trains from Marseille to Madrid are due to run on 28 July. Renfe intends to take full advantage of the opening up of French rail operator SNCF to competition.

Tickets cost €29 for a departure from Lyon Part Dieu station. These prices will increase in the autumn, Renfe says.

The operator hopes to win over passengers with the quality and punctuality of its trains.

"We have a high-speed service with very firm attributes and punctuality commitments, which sets us apart from other operators," said Renfe's international manager Susana Lozano.

In a fortnight, 31,000 tickets were sold in France.

For us, it's important to be able to establish ourselves in Lyon and compete with the SNCF," explained Sonia Araujo-Lopez, Managing Director of Renfe travellers.

"We're going to develop the Lyon-Paris frequency, as well as the Lyon-Barcelona and Marseille-Madrid frequencies. The aim is to be able to develop other possible routes in the future, " she added.

Italy's Trenitalia has already positioned itself on the Lyon-Paris segment while Renfe plans to serve the French capital from 2024.

(with newswires)