They seem to use a similar model to low cost airlines. Depending on when you travel and when you buy the ticket, the price varies dramatically.

I recently travelled midweek from Lleida to Madrid return for €40, but I've also paid more than €100 for the same when traveling around the weekend.

Not everything has to make money, especially public infrastructure.

Also, a good railway increases profits elsewhere, in addition to fares, as people can cheaply and relatively comfortable cross the country.

Trenitalia has to make money since it's partly a private company.

If it's critical infrastructure, it'll get nationalized anyway when struggling.

Correct, but Iryo is a private company, although the railway in Spain is publicly maintained i guess by Renfe. So i believe Iryo should make money, specially (as mentioned in another comment below) it's part of Trenitalia. But i'm definitely not an economist.

The public railway infrastructure is maintained by Adif [1], which is owned by the Spanish state.

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Administrador_de_Infraestructu...

Iryo and Ouigo only arrived in Spain recently. They are selling tickets at cost or even below cost to gain some market share. Ouigo has already stopped some routes because the losses were insurmountable even in a promotional period.

If you want to look at actual prices, look at RENFE (AVE) prices. Even RENFE's own AVLO loses money, it's there only to counter Iryo and Ouigo until they will rise prices or go bankrupt.

+1, Iryo and Ouigo are recent and they are losing money. Renfe has always been tremendously expensive - more expensive than a car or plane.

These train travel success stories are anti-personal transportation propaganda. They want to push you to using trains and then they will raise the prices - they want you not travelling anywhere if you are poor.

This is also my concern, that it does not look realistic and hence my initiative to start commenting in the topic. What is the reality and intention of only privately held companies with such small fares?

What i've heard is that, before, Renfe had a monopoly and since these new players came into picture, the prices have dropped dramatically in Renfe ticket fares. So definitely is good to see the benefits, but is it now also Renfe losing money and would the quality decrease? This would be a bad scenario for everyone then.

Unfortunately, no, prices haven't dropped for Renfe fares.

Coupled with: https://twitter.com/el_pais/status/1716776148049285585

There clearly is a reason for all of this: they don't want you travelling if you are poor.