Alicante to Valencia

[mrmartin]

Any ideas on the best way to get from Alicante airport to Valencia? I'm going to Valencia but the flight options are a lot better to Alicante. I had a look and it seems the trains are seriously irregular on this line, basically once every 2 hours which isn't ideal from an airport connection.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Alicante-Valencia by train goes in a semicircle inland via Xativa, not along the coast, where Denia is the furthest you can get by train.
The basic service is fast Euromed AVE-type trains towards Barcelona, taking 100 minutes for the 183km to Valencia. There are about 8 trains a day from Alicante.

The route is very scenic until the last stretch into Valencia.
It's the original broad-gauge route, despite standard gauge high speed lines having been built parallel to the old line in places.

Alicante airport to Alacant-Terminal station is the C6 bus every 20 minutes (also takes about 20 minutes), the fare being €3.85.

Autobús de Alicante al Aeropuerto, línea C6

Autobús de Alicante al Aeropuerto, línea C6. Conexión entre el centro de Alicante y el aeropuerto de El Altet. Cómo ir de Alicante al aeropuerto

alicante.vectalia.es

 

[dutchflyer]

Was myself in Alic last may and flew out from there. There is a dependable city-bus type link to station, about ev 20/30 mins. Cheap, but not that fast.
As about everywhere in ESpana there is also a kind of expressbus (coach for most British) to the next major city, Vlc, but it varies by trip how it goes-the main motorway folllows th coast mostly and thus serves those overly famous seaside towns as Benidorm etc. and these will be served by that bus-if there are just a lot on that trip, it wont be fast. IF a train has just left and the wait is very long for next, you may want to consider that, but check first.
Check yourself if by now also FLIXbus has an offer, but do not book untill there and really sure you will use it.
For trains; there are likely also other types and prices vary by class and type of train, but if you do not ant to risk to pay for nothing (flight delay->train missed etc.) then you may, in current high season and more on busy weekends-days, get informed that ´vostre treno es completo!=train fully booked, as it all goes on reservations.

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

Alsa run a frequent coach service Alicante - Valencia; the motorway is much more direct than the railway. They leave from the bus station in Alicante which is also served by the airport bus. The train service still hasn't recovered from COVID - it is decidely thin with some of the 'Euromed' services still not reinstated. There are also ongoing engineering works in connection with the standard-gauge line. Alicante Airport (one of busiest in Spain) has long been promised a rail link - the broad-gauge line to Murcia passes tantalisingly close - but no progress to date.

 

[Scouse77]

There is progress on the airport link. Route has been announced and work is starting in the next 12 months. The airport station already exists as it was built into the new terminal when that was built. If you use the lifts in the airport you'll notice the floors are numbered 2, 1, 0, -2. Floor -1 is where the station is situated.

Phase 1 will divert the current Iberian gauge line from San Gabriel to the airport before rejoining the existing route at Torrellano. Then phase 2 will be a new standard gauge line branching off from the AV route and going around the back of San Gabriel and La Florida...then converting and Electrifying the existing Iberian gauge line to standard gauge through Elche to join the Monteford del Cid to Almería AV line near Elche AV station. At which point the old Iberian route to Murcia will close and the stations on the AV route will take over their equivalents on the Iberian route.

The San Gabriel tunnel will still be open to allow freight from the port to access the Alicante to Madrid/Valencia Iberian route. San Gabriel station will close and the line along the coast will be lifted and turned into a green route for cyclists and pedestrians. Interestingly during phase 1 this section will be temporarily electrified until phase 2 is open.

I lived directly above the San Gabriel tunnel for a number of years.

 

[mrmartin]

What about the high speed rail line between alicante and valencia? wikipedia has it opening this year but can't find much more detail.

 

[stuu]

What about the high speed rail line between alicante and valencia? wikipedia has it opening this year but can't find much more detail.

I don't think it will be this year. They are relaying the older line with broad gauge tracks, then need to regauge the Xativa-Encina section to standard gauge and change the electrification to AC, although that should be straightforward

 

[nwales58]

Unless Cercanias C1 frequency, currently roughly every 1h10 with some gaps over 2h, is improved drastically after the new link is eventually built its modal share to Alacant is unlikely to be very high when city bus C6 is every 20' and loops around the centre. To Murcia, Cercanias would gain some traffice from Alsa, currently hourly, although neither the train nor bus stations are particularly convenient.
I can't see Alsa being knocked off the current high-ish frequency routes from the airport by rail.

 

[Austriantrain]

Unless Cercanias C1 frequency, currently roughly every 1h10 with some gaps over 2h, is improved drastically after the new link is eventually built its modal share to Alacant is unlikely to be very high when city bus C6 is every 20' and loops around the centre. To Murcia, Cercanias would gain some traffice from Alsa, currently hourly, although neither the train nor bus stations are particularly convenient.
I can't see Alsa being knocked off the current high-ish frequency routes from the airport by rail.

That’s Spain for you - enormous amounts of new lines built with enormous amounts of money (much of it from the EU), and then very inadequately used.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

That’s Spain for you - enormous amounts of new lines built with enormous amounts of money (much of it from the EU), and then very inadequately used.

When I travelled Alacant-Valencia in 2018, there was a seemingly completed HSL route from Xativa to Valencia, mostly parallel to the Iberian line.
But nothing was using it, and I don't think it is in service yet.

 

[Austriantrain]

When I travelled Alacant-Valencia in 2018, there was a seemingly completed HSL route from Xativa to Valencia, mostly parallel to the Iberian line.
But nothing was using it, and I don't think it is in service yet.

I don’t think so either, they are still trying to finish the line from the south of Xativa to the Madrid - Levante HSL.

 

[nwales58]

I don't think it will be this year. They are relaying the older line with broad gauge tracks, then need to regauge the Xativa-Encina section to standard gauge and change the electrification to AC, although that should be straightforward

First changeover is on 09/09/2023. Everything moves on to the old single track broad gauge line which must reduce capacity a lot. LD/MD/R timetable roughly the same but taking 10-20 minutes longer. News article:

El trazado de ancho ibérico entre Xàtiva y la Encina se pondrá en servicio en septiembre

La segunda fase de las obras adaptarán a alta velocidad el trazado en vía doble y obligará a reestructurar el servicio de C-2 de Cercanías entre las estaciones de Xàtiva-L’Alcúdia de Crespins-Moixent, que se complementará con servicios en autobús

www.levante-emv.com

Valencia Cercanias C-2 appears to have been busstituted between Xàtiva and Moixent since 16/05 according to the RENFE web site.
Somewhere I saw mid-2025 as the likely date for the double track line to reopen as standard gauge 25KV but I cannot find the source.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Despite the long text in the link, I'm not entirely clear what the finished state will be for the La Encina-Xativa section (about 50km).
Clearly the Iberian gauge (3kV DC) route will be singled this month on to the southern track, so there will be a capacity restriction.
Meanwhile the northern track will be converted to HSL (standard gauge, 25kV AC), and connected to the existing HSL sections at each end, towards Valencia and Alacant, allowing HS trains to run Alacant-Valencia.
But I am unclear what happens next: is the southern track also to be converted, or is it staying Iberian standard for regional trains?
Or will it be dual gauge, as is the case north of Valencia towards Castellon?
And will Euromed trains (Alacant-Barcelona) still need to switch to Iberian gauge/DC from Valencia up to Tarragona?

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

The original broad gauge line between Xativa to La Encina was replaced by a new double-tracked broad-gauge line in the 1990s on a slightly different alignment. The old line was subsequently lifted, but has has been relaid (in broad) once again and will open shortly. This will enable the new line to be converted to standard and upgraded for high speed running. Standard gauge running will then be possible Alicante to Castello (Valencia to Castello is mixed) - but Castello to just outside Tarragona is for the moment still broad- gauge only.

 

[HS2isgood]

Despite the long text in the link, I'm not entirely clear what the finished state will be for the La Encina-Xativa section (about 50km).
Clearly the Iberian gauge (3kV DC) route will be singled this month on to the southern track, so there will be a capacity restriction.
Meanwhile the northern track will be converted to HSL (standard gauge, 25kV AC), and connected to the existing HSL sections at each end, towards Valencia and Alacant, allowing HS trains to run Alacant-Valencia.
But I am unclear what happens next: is the southern track also to be converted, or is it staying Iberian standard for regional trains?
Or will it be dual gauge, as is the case north of Valencia towards Castellon?
And will Euromed trains (Alacant-Barcelona) still need to switch to Iberian gauge/DC from Valencia up to Tarragona?

Both tracks are being converted, trains are being detoured into the reopened old line, with journey time increases. In 2026, the line is reopening as a high-speed line, allowing freight south of Xàtiva. Trains from Barcelona to Alacant/Murcia will change gauge at València to use it, and València-Alacant journey times will be cut to just around an hour.

Regional trains between València and Albacete/Alcázar, 3 a day, will use the classic line unless a high-speed station is built in Almansa, as will the "Golden Tower" Barcelona-Cádiz LD service. Regional trains between València, Alacant and Murcia (2 a day) will probably use the high-speed line and switch to the double gauge classic line once the double gauge is installed, to serve stations like Villena or Elda-Petrer. The only stations on the high-speed line will be Xàtiva (current location) and Villena AV (in the middle of nowhere).

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

The original broad gauge line between Xativa to La Encina was replaced by a new double-tracked broad-gauge line in the 1990s on a slightly different alignment. The old line was subsequently lifted, but has has been relaid (in broad) once again and will open shortly. This will enable the new line to be converted to standard and upgraded for high speed running. Standard gauge running will then be possible Alicante to Castello (Valencia to Castello is mixed) - but Castello to just outside Tarragona is for the moment still broad- gauge only.

Both tracks are being converted, trains are being detoured into the reopened old line, with journey time increases. In 2026, the line is reopening as a high-speed line, allowing freight south of Xàtiva. Trains from Barcelona to Alacant/Murcia will change gauge at València to use it, and València-Alacant journey times will be cut to just around an hour.

Regional trains between València and Albacete/Alcázar, 3 a day, will use the classic line unless a high-speed station is built in Almansa, as will the "Golden Tower" Barcelona-Cádiz LD service. Regional trains between València, Alacant and Murcia (2 a day) will probably use the high-speed line and switch to the double gauge classic line once the double gauge is installed, to serve stations like Villena or Elda-Petrer. The only stations on the high-speed line will be Xàtiva (current location) and Villena AV (in the middle of nowhere).

Thanks guys.
I did Alacant-Barcelona in 2018, and it was a Talgo set using solely Iberian gauge throughout.
Today I think they must switch gauge south of Tarragona so as to use the standard gauge HS route on to Barcelona.
Presumably they will use the standard gauge route from 2026 from Alacant to Valencia when the La Encina-Valencia section is converted.
Between Valencia and Castellon I noticed the dual gauge installation, but not sure if it was on both tracks.
Certainly further north through Girona, only one line was dual-fitted.