Ben Jones, CNN
When travelers think of European high-speed rail travel, France’s iconic Trains a Grande Vitesse (TGV) or Germany’s elegant white ICE trains tend to come to mind.
Those who’ve visited Italy will no doubt have encountered Trenitalia’s Frecciarossa (Red Arrow) or the stunning scarlet trains of its strong competitor Italo.
But Europe’s longest network of high-speed railways is not in Italy, Germany or even in France.
That honor is held by Spain, where billions of euros have been invested into new railways radiating from Madrid over the last 30 years.
At 3,567 kilometers, it’s the second longest high speed rail network in the world, although still less than 10% of that built by China over the last decade.
When compared with the lightning progress made by China, the construction of new high-speed railways in Spain has been comparatively glacial, a hostage to volatile national and regional politics, wildly ambitious targets and inconsistent decision making, especially after the 2008 global financial crisis.
However, new sections of railway are continuing to open thanks to significant support from the European Union as Spain works towards realizing the dream of providing fast links between Madrid and its regional capitals.
Ambitious plans
Since the first route, between Madrid’s Atocha terminus and Seville, opened in 1992, the tentacles of this ambitious network have reached out to Malaga and Granada in the south, Valencia, Alicante and Barcelona on the east coast...
Read Full Story: https://ktvz.com/entertainment/cnn-style/2021/09/07/spains-high-speed-railway-revolution/
Your content is great. However, if any of the content contained herein violates any rights of yours, including those of copyright, please contact us immediately by e-mail at media[@]kissrpr.com.