OUIGO España: high quality, high-speed services at low costs

Can you give an overview of your role at OUIGO España; what are you responsible for?

OUIGO España is a high-speed railway operator offering services between Madrid and some of the main cities in Spain (Barcelona, Zaragoza, Tarragona, Valencia, Albacete and Alicante). I am Director of Operations Planning and Maintenance with responsibility for three key missions of OUIGO España’s operations; planning the operations resources (train paths, trainsets, drivers and on-board crew) associated with the transport plan agreed with the commercial team; daily management of operations to secure on time and quality train services; and reviewing operations performance to adapt organisation, processes and contracts to further enhance performance and efficiency.

What are the key factors that have contributed to the success of OUIGO España since its launch?

OUIGO España aims to provide a safe and affordable high-speed service at your fingertips. In order to ensure sustainability for the environment and our pockets, we have improved efficiency of our operations in the following areas:

• We have high capacity trains (1,018 seats per 400m length) that we use intensively (over 700,000km per set per year) by doing maintenance overnight and investing in RBM (reliability base maintenance)
• We have invested in highly skilled and motivated staff who work in simplified processes which are easy to follow thanks to IT systems adapted to our needs
• We have built partnerships with key industry players such as infrastructure managers, maintainers and depot managers which align with our activities.

This efficiency allows us to lower the price of tickets, to be more attractive and competitive in the market, all without penalising the quality of our services. We offer general adult fare tickets from €9, €5 for children aged 3-14 years and free for children under three in their parents’ arms.

What on-board amenities do you offer passengers?

OUIGO España is low in fare, but high in quality. We focus on securing the basics such as clean and working equipment, while also offering affordable extra services on-board such as XL seats, a staffed restaurant coach and of course, Wi-Fi access during the journey. With our rolling stock being double-deck, we can offer different ambiences on-board.

The interior of OUIGO España.

As a relatively new operator, what feedback have passengers given you so far?

After almost two years of operations, we are very satisfied with our commercial success. We have transported over five million passengers and we have achieved excellent punctuality with over 95% trains on time and passenger satisfaction with NPS over 50. And more importantly, we are having an impact in social and economical life in Spain. Individual entrepreneurs are taking our train to meet customers and develop their businesses. Families are having a weekend break at an affordable price, friends are meeting again after the COVID-19 pandemic and new customers are leaving their car or their sofa behind to search new horizons.

What is the impact of OUIGO España on the environment, and what measures is the company taking to reduce its carbon footprint?

With OUIGO España, passengers don’t need to choose between an environmentally friendly journey and an affordable journey. Using high-capacity trainsets maximises the use of the infrastructure – up to 1,018 people can travel using one unique slot. It also means we minimise the use of energy per passenger, reducing impact on the environment. These facts make OUIGO España the sustainable choice for travelling in Spain, because our trains have the largest capacity in the Spanish railway market and pollute 50 times less than a car and 80 times less than an airplane. We are also introducing innovations such as energy counters that will help to enhance our impact through adapting our driving technics. This is what our customers expect from us, this is what our shareholders expect from us, and this is what our children expect from us.

OUIGO España has so far transported over five million passengers. Credit: Wikimedia/Smiley.toerist

How is OUIGO España leveraging digitalisation and innovation to improve operations and passenger experience?

As a new company, we are digitally native. Our systems for planning and delivering operations and passenger services bring simplicity in our processes to ensure safety and efficiency. We invest in training our staff in using this technology so they can focus on customer needs. Our customer sales and support systems are completely digitalised, allowing purchases to be made in just a few clicks. Consequently, we can deliver significant savings to ticket prices and also enhance the customer experience.

What plans are in place for OUIGO España to expand services and reach more destinations?

Currently, we are focusing on consolidating operations in the cities where we operate. In addition, we are preparing operations in the south of Spain serving the cities of Sevilla, Cordoba and Malaga.

When taking high-speed rail journeys, what are your personal top priorities or desires?

I strongly believe that high-speed services need to be an option for the many, not the few. High-speed rail services need to be affordable for everyone, so that we can travel on a small budget and pay for the options that we consider best answer our needs. When I travel for work, I like to be in the trains’ lower-deck so I can concentrate on work and when I am travelling with my family, I choose the upper-deck so the children can see the landscape and I can have a cappuccino with my wife in the on-board bar.