The parking lot at the Elche AV high-speed rail station in Matola could become a paid facility once ongoing railway works are finished and railway infrastructure manager Adif assesses the commercial viability of the site. The Spanish government confirmed the location is included in a contract signed by Adif, Adif-Alta Velocidad, and Saba Aparcamientos to lease parking spaces across several passenger terminals. However, officials have not specified when any changes will take place or if a fee will ultimately be introduced.
This official parliamentary response follows pressure from the People’s Party (PP), who demanded that free parking remain available for commuters. PP representatives expressed concerns about users being charged to park at a facility situated outside the city centre. The document provided by the government to PP members of parliament also revealed that 2.6 million euro has been invested in the Murcia to Alicante commuter rail network stations between 2018 and April 2026, covering both general network upgrades and specific local projects in Elche.
Adif, Adif-Alta Velocidad, and Saba Aparcamientos signed the parking space lease agreement on 16 July 2024, with the contract taking effect on 30 July 2024 for an initial 10-year term lasting until 29 July 2034. Although the Elche AV site is named in the deal, its formal transfer to the operating company was delayed because various railway projects remained unfinished, making exact completion dates uncertain.
The government stated that commercial operation can only begin after current railway works end and Adif evaluates the feasibility of operating the scheme under the existing contract. Until those steps are completed, any move to charge motorists remains on hold. Consequently, the government has not clarified when toll collection might start or what fees would apply, noting that commercial operation will not necessarily begin automatically once construction finishes.
Located away from the urban centre, the Matola station relies heavily on private vehicle access, and its car park experiences occasional periods of overcrowding. During the peak days of the Hogueras de Alicante festival, many commuters from the surrounding area and the Vega Baja region chose to travel by high-speed train rather than drive into Alicante, where parking was severely restricted.
The mayor of Elche, Pablo Ruz, strongly opposed eliminating free parking, arguing that imposing fees would hurt the station’s competitiveness compared to cities where high-speed rail is directly integrated into the urban core. Ruz stressed that free parking is a crucial factor for the station’s success and called on the government to abandon any plans to charge local residents. The PP also linked the issue to broader pending infrastructure demands, including the modernisation of the Alicante to Murcia commuter line, a rail link to the Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández airport, and ongoing maintenance at local urban stations.
The parliamentary questions were submitted by PP deputies Joaquín Melgarejo, Macarena Montesinos, Julia Parra, Sandra Pascual, and César Sánchez, with the government’s response registered in Congress in May.
In its written response, the government outlined 2.6 million euro in regional rail investments made since 2018 across the network. These shared projects included track crossing signals, digitised security systems, cybersecurity solutions, multimedia signage screens, and timing equipment. Specific upgrades were also detailed for Elche urban stations, such as fire protection adaptations at Elx Parc and Elx Carrús, new automatic concourse doors and a transformer replacement at Elx Parc, and concourse refurbishments at Elx Carrús.
Additional regional work included Atendo service adaptations, air conditioning, and information monitors at Alicante Terminal, new canopies in Murcia, and planned ceiling and lighting replacements in Cartagena. For now, parking at Matola remains free for users, with its long-term future dependent on final construction and Adif’s eventual commercial decision.