we know when the line will be operational

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It was almost unexpected. Three years after the end of the direct line between Toulouse and Barcelonadue to lack of profitability – only 400,000 travelers would have used it in five years of marketing -, the Renfe Spanish, the counterpart of the SNCF, reopens its rails to the Pink City.

In 2023, she announced that she wanted to relaunch her line before recently confirming her ambition. Objective ? 2025.

A certificate gives the green light to Renfe… For spring!

And the schedule seems to be well kept. THE first tests were conclusive.

The Spanish railway company has validated its “single security certificate” (CSU) valid between Perpignan and Toulouse, where it did not operate until then. “The French and Spanish security agencies have issued a favorable opinion,” La Renfe said in a statement published on its website.

The queen of Spanish railways will then be able, upon receipt of its certificate, to launch its new line. First step: the training of international staff from January “with the aim of starting the operation of the service second quarter 2025”.

A service between April and September?

Initially, the route between the two regional capitals would only operate between the months of April and September, with one outbound and one return train each day, according to information from the Catalan newspaper Ara.

The route would include stops in Girona, Figueres, Perpignan then Carcassonne before reaching Toulouse. All in a three and a half hour journey. “Later, the service could be extended to several months of the year,” the daily said last October.

The great return of the Spanish train to France

But the affair remains a good (and new) step forward for Renfe in neighboring territory. Or rather a big comeback? The line existed between 2013 and the end of 2021. But since its burial, travelers have had to change trains in Narbonne, and therefore extend their drive by one to two hours. A complication which prompted the airline Vueling to open a direct line.

With this Toulouse-Barcelona, the Spanish company will therefore be able to boast of running its TGVs (called “AVE trains” in Spain) between 17 French and Spanish cities. “In the spring, she will offer six connections per day between the two countriesor three round trips. » In a direct and more eco-responsible way.

“Before July 2023 (month of the launch of the Lyon-Barcelona and Marseille-Madrid TGV via Barcelona, ​​Editor's note), a large part of these journeys could only be made by air or road,” assures Renfe. Until she arrived on French rails, with the rigorous punctuality we know. Double good news.

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