A new Tourist Train service which will operate between Alhambra and Granada city as from September will be unique in Europe as they have hybrid engines, allowing for a 40% reduction in gases compared to the conventional vehicles.
There will be four trains with two carriages each, giving a capacity for 30 people per train and they will operate daily at intervals of 15 and 25 minutes depending upon the season.
Two routes are planned. One is an 8.4 km journey from Plaza Nueva to the paseo del Generalife via the centre of Albaicín and taking in many of the sites of interest in the city, a trip which will take one hour.
The second is a 3.5 km nocturnal route starting from Plaza Nueva via the carrera del Darro and calle Elvira and back to Plaza Nueva, a trip which will take 35 minutes.
The vehicles have panoramic roofs, a georeferenced audioguide system in twelve languages plus two additional channels for children, a tourist information application for smart phones and TFT screens with information on attractions and city services.
Residents of Albaicín who are over 65 years of age will have free travel on these trains while the rest of the residents of this neighbourhood may qualify for a ten-ticket special rate of €1.05 per trip. The Council sees this as a means of solving existing mobility problems within this neighbourhood.
For the rest the price will be €6 for adults for a round trip or €8 for adults for unlimited travel on one day. Over 65’s will pay €2 for a round trip or €4 for unlimited travel on one day.
The Council has invested €1.5 million in these new hybrid trains and a ten year concession, renewable for five more, has been awarded to the joint venture company (UTE) comprising Grupo Juliá and Tren Progresa.
The Council sees the new train services as a means of taking advantage of the flow of visitors to the Alhambra monument to increase the number of overnight stays in the city as well as helping to resolve the mobility problems encountered by the residents of Albaicín.