Are you planning on travelling south of the Costa Blanca this August? If you are heading towards Elche, Crevillent, Orihuela or Murcia by train, there are some important changes you need to know about.
For nine days in August, part of the railway south of Alicante will close completely while Adif carries out maintenance and improvement work.
The closure will run from 06:00 on Monday, August 17 until 23:30 on Tuesday, August 25.
During that time, passengers on several Renfe services will need to swap the train for a bus for part of their journey.
It sounds like a headache, particularly during one of the busiest months of the year, but Renfe has planned a large replacement bus operation. The company has scheduled 1,130 bus journeys and thousands of extra seats to keep passengers moving.
What happens if you use the C1 Alicante-Murcia line?
The biggest changes affect the C1 commuter line between Alicante Terminal and Murcia del Carmen.
If you use this route, you will need to make part of your journey by replacement bus.
Renfe will run buses between Alicante Terminal and Crevillent and between Alicante Terminal and Callosa de Segura.
The company has allocated around 56,000 seats on replacement buses during the closure.
So, if you regularly use the C1 or have a trip planned between August 17 and 25, give yourself some extra time and check the arrangements for your particular train before leaving home.
Why is the line closing?
Adif, Spain’s railway infrastructure manager, is carrying out work between Torrellano and Crevillent.
The work includes maintenance and improvements to the capacity, operation and reliability of the conventional railway network.
Unfortunately, this isn’t work that can take place while trains continue running normally. The affected section therefore needs to close completely.
Medium Distance trains are affected too
Passengers travelling on the Valencia-Murcia-Cartagena Medium Distance service will also notice changes.
Renfe will replace trains with buses on affected sections between Alicante Terminal and Crevillent and between Elche and Alicante Terminal.
The company has arranged more than 4,000 bus seats for passengers using these services.
What about Intercity trains?
There are changes here too.
The Intercity service between Valencia and Cartagena will operate by bus between Valencia and Murcia during the works.
Renfe has arranged almost 2,000 seats for passengers affected by this change.
If you’re making a longer journey, check your ticket and journey information carefully. You could spend a much larger part of your trip on a bus than you were expecting.
Check before you leave home
Renfe says it will increase customer information during the works and provide details of the replacement services through its usual channels.
The important dates to remember are August 17 to 25.
If you’re travelling south from Alicante during that period, don’t simply turn up at the station expecting your normal journey.
Check your train beforehand, allow some extra time and make sure you know where you need to change onto the replacement bus.
A few minutes checking before you leave could make the difference between a straightforward journey and standing at the station wondering where your train has gone.
Bridging the Gap’s recap
- Travelling south of Alicante between August 17 and 25? Expect changes.
- The railway between Torrellano and Crevillent will close completely.
- The closure starts at 06:00 on August 17 and ends at 23:30 on August 25.
- Renfe has scheduled 1,130 replacement bus journeys.
- C1 Alicante-Murcia passengers will need to use buses for part of their journey.
- Replacement buses will operate between Alicante Terminal and Crevillent.
- Buses will also operate between Alicante Terminal and Callosa de Segura.
- Around 56,000 replacement bus seats will be available for C1 passengers.
- Medium Distance services between Valencia, Murcia and Cartagena will also face changes.
- The Valencia-Cartagena Intercity will use buses between Valencia and Murcia.
