Inaugural AVE to Lyon

Renfe's inaugural train from Barcelona to Lyon, formed of a Class 100, departed from Barcelona-Sants on 13 July 2023, at 08.22 with 240 passengers on board. This was the first commercial service operated by Renfe to France acting as an independent, open access concern. The train departed from Perpignan at 09.52, with a Renfe driver at the controls - another first for a Renfe commercial service in France.

During the three weeks prior to the inauguration, since 21 June, Renfe had sold around 43,000 tickets, both for the service to Lyon, and for that from Madrid to Marseille, which is scheduled to start on 28 July. Although at present the services only run at weekends, from the autumn they will become daily.

The Class 100 used for the inaugural service carried a photographic exhibition "Etapa reina, objetivo París", commemorating the 65 Spanish cyclists who had in the past won 130 stages of the Tour de France, which was at the time taking place (specifically between Roanne and Belleville-en-Beaujolais, a hilly ride of 169 km on the 13th).