We purchased our ‘train’ tickets in the FGV train station in Denia, for a trip to Alicante that was to be a ten-hour nightmare trip to Alicante and straight back. Right off the top we had to catch a bus to Teulada, since the train does not make it to Denia these days, due to repairs on the tracks. From Teulada the train took as far as Benidorm, where we had to change trains for the tram towards Alicante, that itself only went as far as Alfaz de Pi, because of repairs to the tracks, where had to transfer onto a bus again to continue our journey to Alicante. At El Campello to bus let us of to catch the train again towards Alicante. Four and a half hours after our journey began we caught a taxi to or destination in Alicante only to discover that we were too late for our appointment, and so turned around and made the same trip back in reverse on our prepurchased return ticket.

Big mistake. The return trip was even longer as the recorded announcement on the train back, telling us to get off and switch to a bus – was played outload one station too early! So we had to wait for the next train, before transferring to a bus and repeating the same nightmare journey.

The train journey that should have taken three hours at the most had lasted four and a half hours going down to Alicante and five hours coming back up to Denia! By comparison – the Alsa bus takes one hour and fifty minutes from Denia to Alicante, although it costs twice as much – and that is what we will do tomorrow.

It seems to be a very bad idea to consider taking the FGV train at all in 2021, and maybe 2022 as well. I will not consider it again until the train actually arrives at the train station in Denia. So my question is – when will that be?