This week saw the launch of the first tour train in Alcalá de Henares, the Alcalá City Tour, operated by a temporary joint venture (TJV) between the Grupo Julià and ALSA. Taking the first ride on the tour train were the mayor of Alcalá de Henares, Javier Rodrígues Palacios, and part of his staff, as well as representatives from ALSA and the Grupo Julià and students from the Cardenal Cisneros Primary School.
The tour train connects the historic quarter of Alcalá with the Roman city of Complutum. There are three stops on the route: Plaza de Cervantes, Plaza de los Santos Niños and Complutum. Passengers on the train will be able to see both the Complutum archaeological site and the Casa de Hippolytus archaeological site and museum. They will then be able to use their “Alcalá City Tour” ticket to go back to the old quarter.
The train can hold 54 people and can accommodate one wheelchair. Riders have an audio guide system with 14 different languages, with two special channels for children in Spanish and English.
The TJV between the Grupo Julià and ALSA, which specialise in general tourism and mobility services both in Spain and abroad, will be charged with managing the new Alcalá City Tour tourism project and will run the tour train for four years, with an option for an additional two. A €150,000 investment was made to launch this project, which is expected to have 35,000 riders in its first year of operation.
The Alcalá City Tour Train joins the portfolio of the Grupo Julià and ALSA TJV, companies with a long track record managing tour buses and trains in other cities in Spain, like the services of the Madrid City Tour, Donostia-San Sebastián City Tour (bus and train) and Murcia City Tour, and internationally, like the Marrakesh City Tour.
