The first of the trial service of the high-speed AVE train from Madrid has arrived in Gandia. Usually this service runs from Madrid as far as Valencia, but as an experiment a trial service to Gandia is being provided over and around the Easter and May holiday weekends.
The plan is that it will come to Gandia from Puerta de Atocha station in Madrid on April 17th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 25th, & 30th, as well as on May 2nd. If this proves a success – and the signs so far are good – then there is the possibility that this will be extended to provide a direct high-speed Madrid – Gandia link over the peak holiday season in the summer. Local businesses and Gandia Town Hall have embraced the idea with enthusiasm and are doing all they can to ensure that the experiment is a success, in a bid to attract yet more holidaymakers from Madrid to enjoy all the delights that Gandia and Playa de Gandia have to offer.
The queue of passengers standing in line to pass their luggage through the security scanners at Madrid would indicate that the idea is meeting with success, and with the positive marketing efforts being made by everyone in Gandia as well as by the train company Renfe, hopes are high that this will not be just a one-off experiment.