News
from: Tourist Office of Spain (New York)
www.spain.info
Source: Pilar Vico, Meredith Pillon
Published: January, 2008

ABOVE: Passengers board an AVE high-speed train. INSET BELOW: An AVE train races through the Spanish countryside.

High-speed rail link cuts 1½ hours from Madrid-Málaga train trips

Madrid, SPAIN, January 2, 2008 – It's now easier to travel from Madrid to the Mediterrean resort city and cruise port of Málaga. Two days before Christmas, he last section of the Córdoba-Málaga AVE line opened, and the previous four-hour trip from Madrid to Málaga in the southern region of Andalusia dropped to two and a half hours.

Coming soon: Madrid to Barcelona in 2½ hours

Once the final section of the high-speed track is completed between Camp de Tarragona and Barcelona, Madrid-Barcelona trains will be able to reach speeds of 186 miles per hour (300 km/h). When the latest version of the European Train Control System (ETCS) is in place, the AVE trains will operate at 199 mph (320 km/h) and eventually reach speeds of 219 mph (352 km/h), reducing the trip to only two hours and 30 minutes.

According to Rail Europe, which sells AVE and other European train tickets in North America, the anticipated or "soft" launch date for the high-speed Madrid-Barcelona service is April, 2008.

More high-speed trains on tap

The Spanish government plans to have 4,350 miles (7000 kilometers) of high-speed track operational by 2010, with all the provincial capitals only four hours from Madrid and six and a half hours from Barcelona.

For information about traveling by train through Spain, contact RENFE. America travelers can contact Rail Europe or go to www.raileurope.com or use the English-language journey planner of RENFE, Spain's national railway system.

For further information about Spain, contact the Tourist Office of Spain in New York (212-265-8822); Miami (305-358-1992); Chicago (312-642-1992) or Los Angeles (323-658-7195) or go to www.spain.info.

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