€19 train tickets from Barcelona to Lyon 'in a few weeks', says Renfe

Spanish rail operator Renfe will have €19 train tickets from Barcelona to Lyon on the market "in a few weeks," the company's president, Raúl Blanco, said on Wednesday.

The Madrid-Marseille line, with a stop in Barcelona, will cost €29, while Renfe trips within France will be €9.

Renfe passed a security clearance to operate in France last December, shortly after its 9-year relationship with SNCF came to an end, and while Blanco did not give specific dates, he said his company was awaiting "final technical details" before launching in the country.

The Spanish rail operator began to test-run journeys between the Catalan capital and Lyon last February. 

Renfe and SNCF previously covered Madrid-Barcelona-Marseille and Madrid-Barcelona-Lyon together – routes that were scrapped after the French company became the only operator connecting both countries by train late last year.

While Renfe will begin with Lyon and Marseille, its "clear objective" is to eventually make it to Paris as well, a service that is now only provided by SNCF. 

SNCF has two trains connecting the Catalan and French capitals every day and three in the summer.