Short answer: from July 2026, Ouigo España — SNCF's Spanish low-cost arm — extends its high-speed spider network out of Madrid to Asturias (Oviedo, Gijón), Galicia (A Coruña, Santiago de Compostela, Vigo) and León, with one-way fares from €9 on Alstom Euroduplex trains in its blue-and-silver livery. Tickets go on sale on ouigo.com from April 2026, and the launch is the first time the operator has run north-west of the Castilian plateau. For a primer on what low-cost high-speed travel looks like in Spain, see our guide to the cheap high-speed trains in Spain and the Ouigo low-cost network.
Until now, low-cost AVE-style fares on the Madrid–northwest corridor were the preserve of Iryo and Renfe AVLO on a handful of slots. Ouigo's arrival changes that: the operator will run on the Madrid–Asturias high-speed line (the Variante de Pajares base tunnel), the Madrid–Galicia corridor via Olmedo–Ourense, and the Madrid–León classic high-speed line, with 16 stops in total across the new routes. Frequency, journey times and exact prices were confirmed by Ouigo España to El País and La Voz de Galicia in late June 2026.
What Ouigo España is launching in July 2026
Three corridors go live in July 2026, with full daily service by the autumn:
- Madrid–Asturias — Madrid Chamartín–Oviedo with stops at León, Palencia and Mieres, and a separate Madrid–Gijón leg via Oviedo
- Madrid–Galicia — Madrid Chamartín–A Coruña and Madrid Chamartín–Vigo via Santiago de Compostela, with intermediate stops at Ourense, Zamora and Valladolid Campo Grande
- Madrid–León — a fast shuttle with stops at Palencia and Valladolid
The trains are the same Alstom Euroduplex sets already used on the Madrid–Barcelona and Madrid–Valencia lines, adapted for the 1,435 mm Iberian-gauge ADIF network. Ouigo runs its own Ouigo Essential (single class, no catering) and Ouigo Plus (extra luggage allowance, seat selection, on-board café) fare families across all three corridors.
Fares, journey times and how to book
Indicative launch fares confirmed by Ouigo España:
- Ouigo Essential: from €9 one-way booked 4+ weeks ahead on the Madrid–León and Madrid–Palencia legs
- Ouigo Essential: typically €19–€29 to Oviedo, A Coruña or Vigo
- Ouigo Plus: usually €10–€15 more than Essential, with luggage up to two 85 cm bags plus cabin baggage and a guaranteed seat reservation
- Children under 4: free on an adult's lap
- Children 4–13: around 50% off the adult fare
- Family Pack: 4 seats for the price of 3 on selected weekday off-peak departures
Indicative journey times on the new routes (operator-confirmed):
- Madrid → León: 2h 05min (versus 2h 30min on Renfe Alvia today)
- Madrid → Oviedo: 3h 25min (versus around 4h 30min today, with a Talgo change)
- Madrid → A Coruña: 3h 50min via the Olmedo–Ourense high-speed bypass
- Madrid → Vigo: 4h 10min
- Madrid → Gijón: 3h 50min with a change at Oviedo
The fleet for the launch consists of 6 Euroduplex trainsets transferred from the existing Madrid–Barcelona pool, with a further 4 units to be added in autumn 2026 to handle the new winter timetable. Seats go on sale on ouigo.com, the Ouigo España app, Trenes.com, Omio and Trainline, with the cheapest tickets allocated per departure and capped in number — book early for the €9 launch fares.
Why Ouigo reaching northwest Spain matters
For 15 years, the Madrid–northwest AVE-style market has been a Renfe monopoly, with fares on Renfe's AVE and Alvia services to Asturias, Galicia and León rarely dipping below €45–€60 one-way. The arrival of Iryo in 2022 cracked the Madrid–Asturias corridor on price, but Ouigo's July 2026 launch is the first time a low-cost operator runs end-to-end on the new high-speed bypasses (Pajares, Olmedo–Ourense, Venta de Baños–León) at scale.
Three concrete consequences for travellers:
- Cheaper end-to-end fares — sub-€20 fares on routes where Renfe AVE cheapest seats have started at €38–€45
- More seats per departure — Ouigo uses double-deck Euroduplex trains with around 950 seats each, compared to Renfe's Renfe S-100 / S-102 singles at roughly 400 seats
- Better evening return options — Ouigo's commercial product targets leisure demand and tends to schedule late-evening departures that Renfe's reserved-seat AVE does not run
For Spanish travellers and the diaspora, this also brings Madrid–Asturias and Madrid–Galicia day-return trips within reach for the first time at low-cost prices.
What the routes look like on the ground
The Madrid–Asturias corridor uses the brand-new Variante de Pajares base tunnel under the Cantabrian Mountains — a 25 km twin-tube tunnel that took 20 years to complete and finally opened for high-speed traffic in late 2023. Ouigo's trains will run through the tunnel at up to 250 km/h, cutting the historic climb over the Pajares pass by almost an hour compared with the Talgo services that still use the old line.
The Madrid–Galicia corridor runs via the Olmedo–Zamora–Ourense high-speed bypass, which opened in December 2021 and runs through the Padornelo and Coto Formigueiro tunnels to reach the Galician plateau. From Ourense, the line branches south to Vigo and north to Santiago de Compostela and A Coruña, with the final Santiago–A Coruña section using the Atlantic Axis high-speed line that opened in 2011. Ouigo's timetable will pool trainsets across all four Galician terminals to keep utilisation high.
The Madrid–León route uses the Venta de Baños–León high-speed line, opened in 2015, and is the shortest of the three at just under 350 km.
How this fits Spain's wider low-cost rail race
Ouigo's arrival in the northwest completes the operator's "spider" network plan, first announced by SNCF in 2021, of low-cost services fanning out of Madrid to every corner of mainland Spain. By autumn 2026, Ouigo will serve Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Alicante, Murcia, Almería, Sevilla, Málaga, Zaragoza, Córdoba, Granada, Oviedo, Gijón, León, A Coruña, Santiago de Compostela, Vigo, Palencia and Valladolid — roughly 80% of Spain's population within a 4-hour train ride of Madrid.
The launch lands in the middle of an unusually competitive 2026 summer:
- Renfe AVLO is running a €7–€15 "Superprecio" sale on the same corridors — see our guide to cheap high-speed trains in Spain
- Iryo (the Trenitalia / Air Nostrum joint venture) is running Madrid–Asturias and Madrid–Valladolid with introductory seats from €18
- Renfe AVE continues to anchor premium and business demand with on-board catering and lounge access
For Galician, Asturian and Leonese travellers, the practical outcome is that the cheapest Madrid trip is now roughly half what it cost in 2024 — and that trend will continue through 2027.
Frequently asked questions
When does Ouigo España launch Madrid–Asturias, Madrid–Galicia and Madrid–León?
The three new routes go live from July 2026, with full daily frequencies in place by autumn 2026. Tickets open on ouigo.com and the Ouigo España app from April 2026.
How much will an Ouigo ticket from Madrid to Oviedo or A Coruña cost?
Indicative launch fares start from €9 for the Madrid–León leg and €19–€29 one-way for the Madrid–Oviedo, Madrid–A Coruña and Madrid–Vigo routes booked 4+ weeks ahead. Last-minute fares typically rise to €35–€55 depending on the day and time.
Which stations will the new Ouigo España routes stop at?
Madrid–Asturias trains call at Madrid Chamartín, Valladolid Campo Grande, Palencia, León and Oviedo, with Madrid–Gijón continuing from Oviedo. Madrid–Galicia trains call at Madrid Chamartín, Valladolid, Zamora, Ourense, Santiago de Compostela and either A Coruña or Vigo. Madrid–León is a non-stop shuttle with one stop at Palencia.
What trains does Ouigo España use on the new routes?
Ouigo runs the Alstom Euroduplex (also called Avelia Euroduplex), the same double-deck TGV-derived trainset already used on Madrid–Barcelona and Madrid–Valencia. Each trainset has around 950 seats, a bar-café car on Ouigo Plus services, free Wi-Fi and power sockets.
How long is the train from Madrid to Oviedo on the new Ouigo service?
The Madrid–Oviedo journey on the new Ouigo service will take around 3h 25min, down from roughly 4h 30min today on the Renfe Alvia via the old Pajares pass. Trains will run through the Variante de Pajares base tunnel at up to 250 km/h.
Is there a change required, or is the Ouigo Madrid–A Coruña train direct?
The trains are direct from Madrid Chamartín to A Coruña (and Vigo), with intermediate stops but no change of train. The same set runs through to the Galician terminus on every departure.
Can I take luggage and bikes on Ouigo España?
Ouigo Essential includes one piece of cabin luggage (max 55 × 35 × 25 cm) and one small handbag. Ouigo Plus adds two 85 cm hold bags, seat selection and free changes within 30 minutes of booking. Bicycles must be folded and packed in a bag no larger than 85 × 60 × 40 cm; non-folding bikes travel via Renfe's "Bike by Train" service on connecting regional trains.
Where can I compare Ouigo with Iryo and Renfe AVLO on the same routes?
Use Gopaxo's search to compare Ouigo, Iryo, Renfe AVE and Renfe AVLO on the Madrid–Oviedo, Madrid–A Coruña and Madrid–León corridors in one query. Our travel guides hub also has more on low-cost high-speed rail in Spain and the broader 2026 European rail renaissance.
In summary
- Ouigo España launches Madrid–Asturias, Madrid–Galicia and Madrid–León from July 2026, with full daily frequencies by autumn.
- Fares start from €9 one-way on the Madrid–León leg and €19–€29 to Oviedo, A Coruña or Vigo for early bookings.
- The new routes use Alstom Euroduplex double-deck trains with about 950 seats each, on the existing Variante de Pajares, Olmedo–Ourense and Venta de Baños–León high-speed lines.
- The launch completes Ouigo's Madrid-centred "spider" network and brings the operator to roughly 80% of mainland Spain's population within 4 hours of the capital.
- For Galicians, Asturians and travellers from León, Valladolid and Palencia, end-to-end low-cost high-speed fares finally exist on routes where Renfe held a near-monopoly until 2022.
- The launch lands in the middle of a 2026 price war with Renfe AVLO (€7–€15 Superprecio) and Iryo (€18 introductory fares), pushing the cheapest available fare below half its 2024 level.
- For day trips, weekend breaks, Camino de Santiago stopovers and Cantabrian coast travel, Ouigo now makes northwest Spain reachable from Madrid for around the price of a regional intercity ticket.
For 15 years northwest Spain was the most expensive corner of the AVE map. With Ouigo's arrival in July 2026, that finally changes. To compare Ouigo with Iryo, Renfe AVLO, Renfe AVE and connecting regional services, search Gopaxo — and check our low-cost high-speed rail guide for the wider picture on low-cost trains in Spain.
