BTA In Conversation with Trainline
from The BTA Hosted by The BTA
What can the UK learn from Spain's rail revolution? Clive Wratten is joined by Carolyn Booth, Senior Account Manager at Trainline, and Luke Hills, Senior Strategic Growth Manager B2B, to unpack why Spain has become the poster child for rail liberalisation. The numbers tell the story. Spain's high-speed network hit 44.5 million passengers last year, up 12% year-on-year and roughly double 2019 levels. On the Madrid–Barcelona route alone, four operators now run a combined 41 round trips a day - around a train every 20 minutes. The result: fares down around 40% in real terms since liberalisation began in 2021. Carolyn and Luke explore what's driving the shift beyond price, from onboard service and Wi-Fi to flexible tickets and true multi-carrier competition in one booking flow. They also tackle the harder questions: why cross-border rail still doesn't flow as it should, what's holding UK rail back from the same competitive dynamic, and what TMCs need to make rail a genuine default choice rather than an afterthought.
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