The Chairman of the Cámara Granada y la Confederación Granadina de Empresarios is less than jubilant over the high-speed train connections to Granada station, better known as the AVE.
“It is a sign of how the province is treated by transport operators,” Chairman Gerardo Cuerva said. This came after information was published in the provincial daily (Ideal) which stated that Granada is the only province of Andalucía that has an AVE connection but where it is not possible to make a reservation for a train ticket for Semana Santa or later.
“That Renfe won’t permit the purchase of train tickets for such an important tourist period is a clear demonstration of how we are mistreated,” he reiterated, adding, “it’s ridiculous that there is no way to reserve tickets for one of the most important tourist destinations in Spain, when other destinations have no such problems.
For this reason, he has called for a “scathing response” from the provincial authorities to this latest “barbarity.” He said that this lack of planning on the part of Renfe (national, state railway company) will have serious consequences for Granada because many Spanish citizens, as well as from other corners of Europe, are planning their Easter holidays, so logically, he considers, they won’t choose Granada.
But it is not only the lack of booking arrangement but also the lack of AVE connections, so much that the Chairman considers it a “joke” that Renfe says that Granada has regained most of its service since the pandemic compared to other provinces that have not. It’s a joke because those other provinces have six or seven times more AVE connections than Granada.
(News: City & Metropolitan Area, Granada, Andalucia)