More high speed services and aggressive pricing
helped Renfe-Operadora attract a greater number of travellers in
2011, thus gaining market share against other modes of
transportation.
In a gloomy economic environment, the 2011
performance of Spain's National Railways was strong, with
passenger numbers increasing by 2.9%, in excess of 468 million.
The impressive influx of travellers from
non-European countries contributed strongly to these results. With
the growth in travellers' numbers approaching 70%, Rail
Europe 4A, one of the largest distributors of train tickets in the world
and primary distributor or Renfe products, has successfully opened
the doors of Renfe’s high speed trains to more people.
All Rail Europe 4A markets are in the black,
with Japan, Brazil and Argentina counting as its top three
countries.
"We are very proud of our results for 2011,"
said Pierre-Stéphane Austi, CEO of Rail Europe. "They demonstrate
how an intelligent, win-win cooperation can bring great rewards to
all parties, distributors and carriers alike."
Rail Europe and Renfe Operadora signed a direct
agreement in April 2011, which proved instrumental in achieving
such positive results. The agreement allowed the two companies to
establish a direct connection between their respective
distribution systems, whilst promoting access to a larger range of
fares (including "low cost" fares) and e-ticketing facilities.
Javier Casado Ucieda, Sales and Marketing Director at
Renfe, said, "This agreement represents a major step forward in
our distribution strategy, and has allowed us to better serve our
clients in the non-European markets thanks to Rail Europe’s strong
presence. Today we are happy to celebrate an excellent first year,
and look forward to repeating this performance in 2012."
In 2012, Rail Europe expects sales of Renfe
tickets to grow equally fast. Acting as a one-stop-shop for rail
products in Europe, and particularly Spain, the company will
continue to promote train travel in Spain, whilst benefiting from
all improvements undertaken by Renfe.
With faster trains between
major cities – it now takes only 2h30 door to door between Madrid
and Barcelona, or 1h38 between Madrid and Valencia – in addition
to very low lead-in prices, trains are consistently proving the
best way to travel in Spain.
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