Rail-booking specialist Loco2.com is launching a partnership with the Spanish state-owned rail operator, Renfe, making it much simpler to book Spanish train tickets online. The new service will go live on 18 February.

From this date, it will be possible to book any Spanish train ticket at Loco2.com including advance deals known as “Turista Promo” fares, offering discounts of up to 70 per cent. All tickets will be available to print at home. The addition will be welcome news to Loco2’s growing customer base, which values the site’s uncomplicated and clear booking process.

The company already has unrivalled coverage – Loco2.com is the only website to allow travellers to book all UK, Eurostar, French and German rail in one place, as well as popular routes in other countries. The addition of all Spanish trains brings the company closer to comprehensive coverage of the European rail network.

The announcement of the Renfe partnership comes soon after the launch of a direct TGV between Paris and Barcelona in December 2013, which has already become one of Loco2’s top-selling routes. This new high-speed service means that it’s now possible to travel from London to Barcelona by train in a day. By simplifying the booking process, Loco2 hopes to encourage more people to ditch the plane and opt instead for a lower-carbon journey by train.

Other new routes available as a result of the partnership include the entire AVE high-speed network – the longest in Europe at 3,100km. Barcelona to Madrid is possible in fewer than three hours. Scenic routes are affordable, too: the 4.5-hour journey from Barcelona to Alicante, along the Mediterranean coast.