07 March 2008
The growth of Spain's high-speed rail network has enabled the country to develop one of Europe's most advanced transport systems, it has been claimed.
With trains now travelling at 300 kilometres per hour across the country, rail travel has emerged as a genuine alternative to flying for long-distance journeys in Spain, with transport chiefs from other countries starting to take notice, the Times reports.
Gerry Doherty, general secretary of the TSSA transport union, told the newspaper that the Spanish government has provided an example for other rail operators, including those in the UK - the country that "invented rail travel".
"We have to follow the example of Spain … by making rail quicker and cheaper if we are to meet the challenge of low-cost airlines," he said.
Speaking about Spain's advances in train travel, deputy prime minister Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega stated recently: "We have the largest amount of high-speed rail under construction, with five times more than the next country, Japan."
High-speed AVE lines now connect many of Spain's major cities, including Barcelona, Madrid, Malaga and Sevilla. Launched in December, the Madrid-Malaga service means that passengers from the capital can reach the Costa del Sol in just two hours and 30 minutes.
