If you land at one of Spain’s busiest airports, you would probably expect one simple thing: a train into the city center.
In Alicante, things are… a little different.
Despite welcoming millions of tourists every year, Alicante–Elche Miguel Hernández Airport still has no direct train or tram connection to Alicante city.
Yes, really.
Right now, travelers arriving at the airport have only a few practical options:
- the C6 airport bus,
- taxis,
- private transfers,
- rental cars,
- or asking themselves why this still hasn’t been solved in 2026.
The good news? A railway connection is finally being planned.
The bad news? Well… this is Spain’s infrastructure world, where projects can move impressively fast on paper and impressively slow in real life.
So What Is Actually Being Planned?
This is where many people get confused online because there are actually two separate transport projects happening around Alicante.
1. A Real Train Connection to Alicante Airport
The biggest and most important project is a proper railway link between the airport and the existing Spanish rail network.
The organization behind the project is ADIF.
If you have never heard of ADIF before, don’t worry — most tourists haven’t either.
ADIF is basically the public company responsible for Spain’s railway infrastructure:
- train tracks,
- stations,
- tunnels,
- rail construction projects,
- and maintaining much of the national rail system.
Think of them as the people who build and manage the railway “hardware,” while companies like Renfe operate the trains themselves.
According to current plans, the airport would get:
- a new underground railway station,
- direct access to regional and long-distance rail services,
- and a connection to the existing Alicante–Murcia railway corridor near Torrellano.
That last part is important because it would finally connect the airport to Spain’s wider rail network.
In theory, this could eventually allow easier train access not only to Alicante city, but also:
- Elche,
- Murcia,
- Valencia,
- Madrid,
- and potentially other destinations.
At the moment, however, the project is still mainly in planning and technical development stages.
And if you know Spanish infrastructure timelines… you already know what that usually means. 😀
The Other Project People Keep Mixing Up
The second project is completely different.
This one involves the TRAM Metropolitano de Alicante network — Alicante’s light rail and tram system.
Right now, Alicante has a slightly awkward situation:
- the TRAM network operates from stations like Luceros,
- while the main national railway station is elsewhere in the city.
That main station is Alicante-Terminal railway station, often simply called the RENFE station by locals.
And this station matters a lot because it is Alicante’s main rail hub.
From there you can catch:
- high-speed AVE trains,
- low-cost AVLO services,
- regional trains,
- and long-distance routes across Spain.
In other words: if Alicante is a transport puzzle, the RENFE station is the central piece.
Because of this, the city is building a new intermodal station project to better connect:
- local TRAM services,
- buses,
- regional transport,
- and national railway lines.
This project is further along than the airport rail connection itself.
But here is the important part many headlines fail to explain:
The new TRAM connection does NOT automatically mean the airport will finally get a tram line.
A lot of people see “new Alicante transport project” and assume trains to the airport are already coming soon.
Not exactly.
The airport railway connection is still its own separate mega-project.
So… When Will There Finally Be a Train?
That is the million-euro question.
Officially, nobody wants to promise a firm opening date yet.
Looking realistically at the current progress:
- an optimistic scenario could be around 2029–2030,
- but delays would surprise absolutely nobody.
To put it politely: Spanish infrastructure projects sometimes operate on a very flexible relationship with time.
And honestly, the airport badly needs this connection.
Alicante–Elche Miguel Hernández Airport is one of the busiest tourist airports in Spain, especially for visitors heading to:
- Costa Blanca resorts,
- Benidorm,
- Torrevieja,
- Alicante city,
- and beach towns across the region.
Yet in 2026, millions of travelers still arrive and immediately queue for buses or taxis because there is no train.
That feels increasingly outdated for a major European tourist destination.
The Irony Nobody Misses
Here is the funny part.
Spain already has some genuinely impressive high-speed rail services.
You can travel from Madrid to Alicante on cheap and fast AVLO high-speed trains surprisingly efficiently.
Sometimes it can genuinely feel easier — and even cheaper — to cross half of Spain by high-speed rail than to travel the final few kilometers from Alicante city to the airport itself.
That irony has become a running joke among travelers and locals alike.
How Do You Get From Alicante Airport to the City Right Now?
Until the railway finally arrives, the main option remains the C6 airport bus.
The C6 connects the airport with:
- Alicante city center,
- the main bus station,
- and nearby transport hubs.
It runs frequently and is reasonably affordable, although during summer it can become crowded.
Other options include:
- taxis,
- ride-sharing services,
- airport shuttles,
- and car rentals.
For travelers heading directly to places like Benidorm or Torrevieja, dedicated airport buses are often the easiest solution.
Why Travelers Are Still Frustrated
Will Alicante Airport eventually get a proper train connection?
Almost certainly yes.
Should it already exist by now?
Also yes.
The plans are real, the need is obvious, and the infrastructure groundwork is slowly moving forward.
But until construction accelerates significantly, travelers should probably keep treating “coming soon” with a little Mediterranean caution.
Because in Costa Blanca transport language, “soon” can sometimes mean:
- next year,
- five years,
- or “we’ll see.” 😅
