Data released this week by the National Institute of Statistics shows high speed long distance rail transport grew by 31.2 percent, with an accompanying near 86 percent rise in medium distance train journeys. The release underscores the arrival of new railway operators and a broader range of options, which in turn helped lower prices and boost overall rail activity across the country.
The trends reveal a country where rail freight and passenger services have become more competitive in recent months, lifting overall rail travel figures across both medium and long distance routes. The report highlights a meaningful shift in traveler behavior and market structure that has contributed to stronger rail numbers.
In September, Spain logged a total of 58.55 million rail passengers, up 11.2 percent from the previous year. Medium distance travel led the way with 6.58 million passengers, showing an 85.8 percent increase, followed by high speed services with 2.78 million passengers and a 31.2 percent rise.
Long haul travel also posted solid gains, rising 21.1 percent to 48.3 million passengers, and regional and local rail travel grew by 4.8 percent to 3.62 million passengers, according to the Passenger Transport Statistics released by the statistics institute on Friday. The broad momentum signals a robust recovery in rail travel across different service levels.
Travel volumes climb across all public transport modes
Public transport usage reached more than 450.7 million passengers in September, a 13.7 percent year over year gain. Urban mobility rose 17 percent, while intercity travel climbed 13.5 percent. Bus travel saw a notable 16.1 percent increase, highlighting how intercity corridors and urban networks contributed to overall growth.
Compared with August, September showed a 34.3 percent month over month rise in public transport passengers. The year over year pace in 2023 remained well above 2021 levels, with growth around the mid to high teens in several segments.
Urban transportation accounted for 275.7 million passengers in September, up 17 percent from the same month in 2022. Metro use rose 11.1 percent annually. Among cities, Malaga recorded the largest year over year gain at 123.3 percent, while Madrid posted a more modest 7.2 percent increase.
The biggest city level gains in bus transport within metro regions occurred in Palma with a striking 42.8 percent increase, while Malaga reported a smaller rise of 11.4 percent. This data comes from INE statistics and shows broad urban mobility expansion across multiple metropolitan areas.
Bus travel in urban areas rose 21.2 percent in September compared with September of the previous year. The largest increases in bus passenger numbers occurred in the Canary Islands with 48.5 percent growth, the Region of Murcia with 30.3 percent, and the Principality of Asturias with 27.1 percent; Castilla La Mancha was the only region showing a slight decline in bus travel at 0.4 percent.
Intercity travel grows as well
Intercity transport logged more than 134.5 million passengers in September, an increase of 13.5 percent from September of the prior year. Bus trips expanded by 16.1 percent to 70.6 million, rail travel rose 11.2 percent to 58.5 million, and sea travel edged up 6.8 percent to 4.2 million passengers, while marine transport declined by 0.1 percent to 1.14 million.
Cercanías services grew by 14.1 percent on buses and 4.8 percent on rail. Medium distance rail rose by 21.7 percent and long distance rail by 85.8 percent, underscoring a strong shift toward faster and longer journeys on the national network.
Long distance travel increased by 9.8 percent on buses and 21.1 percent on rail, with high speed services leading the gains at 31.2 percent.
Special transport shows a different trend
On a contrasting note, private and on demand transport saw a year over year decline of 4.3 percent in September, with more than 40.3 million users opting for private modes. Private transport total fell 8.7 percent to over 25.2 million users, with school group travel down 9.7 percent and business travel down 6.1 percent. In contrast, on demand transportation rose 4 percent year over year, reaching more than 15.1 million passengers.
These mixed developments reflect shifting consumer preferences as the public transport network continues to evolve and attract a broader user base across urban, intercity, and rural routes as noted by INE data with proper attribution.