AVE to extend its network still further

While many other European countries struggle to cope with their under-funded, inadequate and inefficient train services, Spain forges ahead with plans for its AVE network.

Travellers have long been accustomed to being able to travel from Madrid to Sevilla in just two and a half hours, but in 2003 an extension to the network linking Madrid to Zaragoza was completed. Since then the AVE network has been such an overwhelming success story, drawing trainspotters from all over the world to enjoy the AVE experience first-hand.

The network is expanding every year and by mid-2010 it will be possible to travel from Madrid and all its AVE connections (like Málaga or Sevilla) direct to Valencia. Timings have yet to be confirmed but since the service from Barcelona to Seville takes only five and a half hours it’s likely that an AVE train, which these days can move at 300kph, will significantly shorten the journey.

Travelling in AVE Club Class has the unfortunate side-effect of seducing travellers into expecting a level of comfort and service that is rarely available on other European rail networks. America’s ritzy Monocle Magazine recently named it the best first class rail development of the year and, with the addition of wide, comfortable seats and the finest of fine dining á L’Espagne it’s easy to see why.

The AVE phenomenon has been such an overwhelming success that these high-speed trains are stealing business from the airlines, with Spanish commuters abandoning the airport in favour of the station. It has also been reported that Barack Obama’s transport secretary, Ray LaHood, recently travelled on an AVE route in an attempt to see how the USA might be able to emulate Spain’s vision of the future.

Giles Tremlett, author of the bestselling Ghosts of Spain, recently observed in Britain’s Guardian newspaper: “After 18 years hopping from one Spanish airport to another I am now a self-confessed AVE addict. The hassle of crowded, out-of-town airports like Barcelona or Madrid becomes more nightmarish as the ease of getting on a train increases. The AVE has put the pleasure back into travel.”

New post on at Monday, 27 July, 2009, 8:51 am and is archived in Lifestyle, Luxury, News about Spain, Travel. Subscribe to answers with RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or make a trackback from your web.