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Home / 2023 / Spain - late January 2023 / Albacete València Xàtiva Alcoi Alacant - 21 January 2023 14

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Saturday 21st January 2023 The primary aim for today was to cover the branch line from Xàtiva to Alcoi, west of València, which only has 3 or 4 trains per day each way; then ending the day in Murcia to be in position for the next day's travels. The València to Alcoi train is advertised as a through service but was an EMU to the junction station at Xàtiva for a DMU forward. I could have stayed on train MD18523 all the way from Xàtiva to Murcia, but I found out that the InterCity service between Barcelona and Murcia, which is top-n-tailed between Alacant and Murcia by two Class 334 diesel locomotives, was running very late and behind the MD instead of in front of it; so I transferred to it Alcant Terminal.
Route: Albacete Los Llanos 09:18 (RegExp 18018 RENFE DMU 599050) - via left track from Moixent - right track after Xàtiva - slow running, sleeper and rail replacement - València Nord 11:23 (arr 27 late); 12:19 (Reg 14415 RENFE EMU 447306/?/305) - slow running - Xàtiva, overlap with Alcoi branch 13:17; 13:50 (Reg 14415 RENFE DMU 592235/?/?) - Alcoi 15:04; 15:18 (Reg 14416 RENFE DMU 592235/?/?) - Xàtiva 16:35; 17:06 (MD 18523 RENFE DMU 599055) - cross to left track at La Font de la Figuera - Alacant Terminal 18:30 (arr 12 late); 17:50 (IC463 RENFE DL 334014+8C+334020, dep 81 late) - via Sant Gabriel (rev 18:48/18:49) - Murcia del Carmen 19:20 (arr 63 late). Overnight: Hotel Pacoche Murcia, Cartagena 30, 30002 Murcia (700 m from station).