Iryo

Last updated
Iryo
Iryo 2022 logo.png
ETR 1000 Spain.jpg
Main station(s) Madrid Atocha, Barcelona Sants
Other station(s) Zaragoza–Delicias
Fleet size20 Frecciarossa 1000
Stations called at12
Parent company Trenitalia / Air Nostrum / Globalvia
Technical
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Electrification 25 kV AC
Other
Website https://www.iryo.eu
Route map
Current and planned services Iryo Spain High Speed Rail.svg
Current and planned services

Iryo is the brand of Intermodalidad de Levante S.A. (ILSA), a private high-speed rail operator in Spain. The company is jointly owned by the Italian state-owned railway company Trenitalia (51%), the Spanish regional airline Air Nostrum (25%), and the Spanish infrastructure investment fund Globalvia (24%).

Contents

During the late 2010s, ILSA worked to secure the necessary approval and resources to launch the service. During early 2022, it was announced that the company had attracted the interest of Globalvia, which subsequently joined with the two original founding companies in the venture. The Iryo brand was launched in November 2021, one year prior to the commencement of its first services, which ran on the Madrid–Barcelona high-speed rail line in competition with RENFE and Ouigo España. Throughout 2023, additional services covering Madrid–Córdoba–Seville/Malaga and Madrid–Albacete–Alicante have been launched. The company has publicly declared its intention to pursue a 30 percent market share along its routes. The bulk of Iryo's fleet comprises 20 Frecciarossa 1000 high speed train sets.

History

On 17 September 2018, Intermodalidad de Levante S.A. (ILSA) received approval to launch an open-access high-speed passenger services in Spain; at the time, the company was a joint venture between the Italian state-owned railway company Trenitalia and the Spanish airline Air Nostrum. [1] On 18 November 2021, ILSA revealed the Iryo brand at a public event held at Madrid Atocha railway station. [2] [3] According to Simone Gorini, ILSA's Chief Executive, the operator has a long term ambition to pursue a 30 percent market share on the routes that it is to run. [4]

During February 2022, it was reported that the Spanish infrastructure investment fund Globalvia was interested in acquiring a stake in Intermodalidad de Levante (ILSA), the high speed joint venture between Trenitalia and Air Nostrum. [5] In September 2022, Globalvia announced the completion of its acquisition of a 24 percent stake in ILSA and thereby its involvement in Iryo. [6]

In late November 2022, Iryo inaugurated its initial service, running 12 trains per day on the route between Madrid and Barcelona; these sometimes called at Zaragoza. [7] [8] Its services are operated in competition with the national railway operator Renfe's AVE and Avlo services, as well as the French-owned low-cost carrier Ouigo España; thus, Spain became the first country in Europe with three competing high-speed rail operators. [9] Two months prior to the launch, Iryo had made available advanced tickets at a 50 percent discount available; [10] ticket prices across all operators have been cut since the launch of operations. [11]

Iryo added a Madrid–Cuenca–Valencia route in December 2022. In February 2023, it was announced that the company had been authorised to launch four more routes. [12] Accordingly, additional services covering Madrid–Córdoba–Seville/Malaga were launched in March 2023; [13] three months later, a Madrid–Albacete–Alicante service commenced as well. [14] [15] It has been observed that, following the arrival of open-access operators such as Iryo and Ouigo España, passenger numbers have sharply risen, reportly doubling on the Madrid-València corridor during late 2022. [16] [17]

During June 2023, it was announced that Iryo had formed an alliance with the Spanish airline Air Europa to facilitate the provision of combined plane and train tickets to the travelling public. [18] The company's ambitions to expand its services have been aided by liberalisation reforms pursued by the Spanish railway infrastructure manager Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias (ADIF), such as the introduction of scaleable track access charges that will be fairly applied to all operators, both the state-own RENFE and open-access operators such as Iryo, during the mid-2020s. [19] [20]

For rolling stock, the company ordered twenty new Frecciarossa 1000 train sets, similar to those operated by Trenitalia since 2015. Nine of these had been delivered prior to the launch of services to Barcelona. [21] [22] During late 2022, it was speculated that the company may in the future acquire variable-gauge trains, which would enable Iryo to provide services to areas, such as in Galicia, which are presently accessible only via Iberian-gauge tracks. [23]

Services

As of 2024 Iryo offers the following services: [24]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in Spain</span>

Transport in Spain is characterised by a network of roads, railways, trams, air routes, and ports. Its geographic location makes it an important link between Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Major forms of transit generally radiate from the capital, Madrid, located in the centre of the country, to link with the capitals of the autonomous communities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Renfe</span> Spanish state-owned rail transport company

Renfe, officially Renfe-Operadora, is Spain's national state-owned railway company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rail transport in Spain</span>

Rail transport in Spain operates on four rail gauges and services are operated by a variety of private and public operators. Total railway length in 2020 was 15,489 km. The Spanish high-speed rail network is the longest HSR network in Europe with 3,966 km and the second longest in the world, after China's.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madrid Atocha railway station</span> Railway station in Madrid, Spain

Madrid Atocha, also named Madrid Puerta de Atocha–Almudena Grandes, is the oldest major railway station in Madrid. It is the largest station serving commuter trains (Cercanías), regional trains from the south and southeast, intercity trains from Navarre, Cádiz and Huelva (Andalusia) and La Rioja, and the AVE high speed trains from Girona, Tarragona and Barcelona (Catalonia), Huesca and Zaragoza (Aragon), Sevilla, Córdoba, Málaga and Granada (Andalusia), Valencia, Castellón and Alicante. These train services are run by Spain's national rail company, Renfe. As of 2019, the station has daily service to Marseille, France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AVE</span> High-speed rail service in Spain

Alta Velocidad Española (AVE) is a high-speed rail service operated by Renfe, the Spanish State railway company.

Trenitalia SpA is the primary train operator of Italy. A subsidiary of Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane, itself partly owned by the Italian government, the company is owned publicly and partly private from a private investors group. It was established in 2000 following a European Union directive on the deregulation of rail transport.

Air Nostrum is a Spanish regional airline based in Valencia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High-speed rail in Spain</span>

High-speed railways in Spain have been in operation since 1992 when the first line was opened connecting the cities of Madrid, Córdoba and Seville. Unlike the rest of the Iberian broad gauge network, the Spanish High-speed network mainly uses standard gauge. This permits direct connections to outside Spain through the link to the French network at the Perthus Tunnel. High-speed trains run on a network of high-speed rail track owned and managed by ADIF, where the dominant service is AVE while other high speed services such as Avant, Alvia, Avlo, Euromed, Ouigo España and Iryo, as well as mid-speed (Altaria) services also operate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High-speed rail in Europe</span>

High-speed rail (HSR) has developed in Europe as an increasingly popular and efficient means of transport. The first high-speed rail lines on the continent, built in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, improved travel times on intra-national corridors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Open-access operator</span> Rail company using third party infrastructure

In rail transport, an open-access operator is an operator that takes full commercial risk, running on infrastructure owned by a third party and buying paths on a chosen route and, in countries where rail services run under franchises, are not subject to franchising.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madrid–Málaga high-speed rail line</span> Railway line in Spain

The Madrid–Málaga high-speed rail line is a standard gauge High-speed rail line of 512 km (318 mi) in length that links the city of Madrid with the city of Málaga in Spain. The line was inaugurated on 24 December 2007. At the time the service opened, Renfe Operadora was running 22 trains daily between Madrid and Málaga.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias</span> Operator of most of Spains railway infrastructure

ADIF is a Spanish state-owned railway infrastructure manager. This state owned company reports to the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility. ADIF is charged with the management of most of Spain's railway infrastructure, that is the track, signaling and stations. It was formed in 2005 in response to European Union requirements to separate the natural monopoly of infrastructure management from the competitive operations of running train services. It is the legal successor of Renfe, Feve, and GIF.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madrid–Levante high-speed rail network</span> Railway network in Spain

The Madrid–Levante high-speed network is a network of high-speed rail lines that connects Madrid with the Mediterranean coast of the Levante Region, specifically with Castilla-La Mancha, the Valencian Community and the Murcia Region autonomous communities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frecciarossa 1000</span> Italian high-speed trainset

The Frecciarossa 1000 is a high-speed train operated by Italian state railway operator Trenitalia and the private Spanish high-speed rail operator Iryo. It was co-developed as a joint venture between Italian rail manufacturer Hitachi Rail Italy and multinational conglomerate Alstom. Both design and production work were divided between the two partner companies.

Cuenca – Fernando Zóbel Railway Station is the new railway station in Cuenca, Spain, located 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from the city centre. The station is named after painter Fernando Zóbel to commemorate his links to the city. It occupies 3.950 square metres (42.52 sq ft) with 8.900 square metres (95.80 sq ft) of parking space. It is operated by RENFE and part of Adif and high-speed rail systems.

The West Coast Partnership (WCP) is a railway franchise in the United Kingdom for passenger trains on the West Coast Main Line (WCML), between London Euston, the West Midlands, Shropshire, North Wales, Liverpool, Manchester, Carlisle, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Founded in December 2019, it is currently operated by First Trenitalia West Coast Rail Limited, comprising two distinct parts, Avanti West Coast which runs the current services on the WCML, and West Coast Partnership Development, which is the 'shadow operator' for future high-speed services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avlo</span>

Avlo is a low-cost high-speed rail service operated by Spanish national rail company Renfe, offering services connecting major Spanish cities such as Madrid, Zaragoza, Barcelona, Valencia, Alicante and others on specific high-speed lines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ouigo España</span>

Ouigo España is an open-access operator of high-speed railway services in Spain. It is a subsidiary of SNCF Voyageurs, the French national railway company, and uses its trademark Ouigo.

Globalvia is a Spanish multinational transport infrastructure company that operates in 11 countries across three continents. In June 2022, Globalvia in partnership with Kinetic Group launched a takeover bid for the British bus and rail operator Go-Ahead Group. The sale was approved by Go-Ahead's shareholders in August 2022. Globalvia has a 49% shareholding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avant (train)</span> Spanish railway service operated by Renfe

Avant is a high-speed, medium-distance passenger transport rail service, operated in Spain by the Spanish public company Renfe. Avant services circulate at a maximum speed of 250 km/h (160 mph), compared to the 300 km/h (190 mph) maximum speed of the AVE service. Their routes usually cover different provinces within the same autonomous community or between neighboring ones. Regional services at conventional speed are called Renfe Media Distancia.

References

  1. ↑ "Intermodalidad de Levante SA (ILSA)". Railway Gazette International . Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  2. ↑ "ILSA services to be branded Iryo". Railway Gazette International. 23 November 2021.
  3. ↑ McWhirter, Alex (23 November 2021). "Trenitalia unveils Iryo branding for its foray into Spain". businesstraveller.com.
  4. ↑ Kingsley, Nick (21 April 2022). "Interview: Iryo targets a 30% share". Railway Gazette International.
  5. ↑ "ILSA to add a third partner". Railway Gazette International. 22 February 2022.
  6. ↑ "Globalvia takes stake in Iryo ahead of November launch". Railway Gazette International. 28 September 2022.
  7. ↑ Bent, Mike (24 November 2022). "Iryo brings Italian style to Spanish high speed rail services". Railway Gazette International.
  8. ↑ "Iryo makes inaugural run". International Railway Journal. 25 November 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  9. ↑ "Spain's new high-speed trains make it Europe's rail capital". CNN. 25 November 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  10. ↑ King, Chris (20 September 2022). "Tickets for Spain's new high-speed train operator Iryo available with 50 per cent discount". euroweeklynews.com.
  11. ↑ Lillo, Ignacio (28 February 2023). "Ticket prices tumble on Madrid to Malaga high-speed trains due to increased competition". surinenglish.com.
  12. ↑ "Four new Iryo routes receive competition clearance". International Railway Journal. 8 February 2023.
  13. ↑ "Iryo launches services to Sevilla and Málaga". Railway Gazette International. 3 April 2023.
  14. ↑ "Iryo To Andalucía". Railvolution. 31 March 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  15. ↑ "Iryo launches Madrid to Alacant service". Railway Gazette International. 8 June 2023.
  16. ↑ "Entry of Ouigo and Iryo in Spain made passenger numbers soar". RailTech.com. 27 March 2023.
  17. ↑ Martínez, Edurne (15 August 2023). "More people prefer to travel by train instead of plane in Spain, boosted by arrival of new high-speed rail operators".
  18. ↑ Romero, Martin (28 June 2023). "Air Europa and Iryo Form a Plane-Train Alliance". aviacionline.com.
  19. ↑ "Deloitte to develop Spanish track access charging regime". Railway Gazette International. 19 July 2023.
  20. ↑ "Adif starts second phase of liberalisation". railwaypro.com. 8 August 2023.
  21. ↑ "Spanish Iryo takes off with inaugural journey". RailTech.com. 21 November 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  22. ↑ Lillo, Ignacio (7 February 2023). "Red-letter day as low-cost high-speed Iryo trains start commercial tests at Malaga station". surinenglish.com.
  23. ↑ "ILSA gains third shareholder with Globalvia and plans to compete for Galicia". RailTech.com. 16 February 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  24. ↑ "Iryo destinations". iryo.eu. Retrieved 16 April 2024.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.