From December this year the new high-speed rail service between Barcelona, Madrid and Malaga should be in operation. The journey from Madrid to Malaga will then take about 2hr 30mins (it used to take over 4 hours), and the journey from Madrid to Barcelona will take about the same time. Exciting times I think for rail travel in Europe.

It is a litle known fact that by the year 2010, Spain’s growing high speed train network that will be larger than that of both France and Japan and will be the largest and fastest train service in the world.

Barcelona gets connected to Madrid via the “alta velocidad” network on December 21st, Valladolid the next day, the 22nd and Malaga on the 23rd December.

This is great news ( and of course helps reduce our "carbon footprint" ). It will be quicker than flying when you take into account journey times to airports, getting through security etc. Plus they are remarkably punctual!!

Tickets can be purchased on line at www.renfe.es under the special "AVE" section

Michael

absolutely great news, and it just beginning as Michael point out.

It is a little unkown source of developments that will eventually make it into a much needed modern country. Hoping prices wont go along with that ,which are already showing up

Hi all,

I find it incredible that "high speed" is being hailed as a wonderful thing on the Slow Trav website... I must admit I haven't been around for a while but things seem to have changed here...

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The line will affect a total of 400 landowners, most of whom also oppose the track.

From http://www.theolivepress.es/2007/10/02/digs-not-dig-it-up/

I find it disturbing that the priority is to get from A to b as fast as possible and "damn the consequences"....

Michael, I see your point about carbon footprint but the whole foundation about "Slow travel" is lost in this topic of high speed trains....

I would bring everyones's attention to http://www.slowtrav.com/vr/index.htm

Clive

Clive, it really sucks that some people (and important Roman sites, etc) will be hurt by the train line. But I don't think by taking a high speed train has anything to do whatsoever with the concept of slow travel.

Say you are staying one week in Madrid and one in Barcelona (staying in apartments, of course) - I would still consider this slow travel, regardless of how you get from Madrid to Barcelona.

I think it is important to have other methods of traveling besides flying or driving. Wouldn't the man in seat 61 agree?

Of course, I am just a traveler so I don't really care about an hour or two saved on the train. Though, it was pretty nice to get from Paris to Reims in 45 minutes instead of two hours last month on the new high speed train there.

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Say you are staying one week in Madrid and one in Barcelona (staying in apartments, of course) - I would still consider this slow travel, regardless of how you get from Madrid to Barcelona.

You have really lost me there Shannon - what is the difference between staying in a Hotel or an apartment in terms of "Slow travel"????!!!!

I find it disturbing that the priority is to get from A to b as fast as possible and "damn the consequences"....

Clive - I do not see the vast majority of the members of this website sailing across the Atlantic rather than flying (that includes our founder members and moderators!)

Sorry to be so provocative, but a little realism has to prevail. So many people have a limited amount of time to travel (myself included) that getting from A to B in the shortest time is of the utmost importance. Then I can "slow down" and enjoy!

And yes - the carbon footprint is important - enormously so - maybe we can encourage many people on this website to offset their carbon emissions by planting trees etc.

Michael

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that getting from A to B in the shortest time is of the utmost importance. Then I can "slow down" and enjoy!

Yes, I agree, and you can slow down anyway you want it across the way, its choice thats important, and now folks in Spain, and those visiting will have another choice,good for them.

My choice is the car, but sometimes common sense will tell me need to use the train or plane,then I will have choices, and that good for slow travelers too.

I think Shannon was just using an example, it could have been hotels too, or B&B, or casa rural ,etc. I think.

Listen, I use to travel before to Spain and take the Pyrenees mountain in a Golf shifting on first and second all the way up the mountains,(heh neons ago), then all of a sudden they build the tunnel Col de Somport !!! had to knock down chunks of mountain for that, and forest; but hey now its a breeze going thru it, almost 5 km under the pyreenes wow!! modern expressway with lights and rest areas included!!! It used to take me 22 hours ,now i did it in 2005 in 16 hrs straight(alone) of course i rest and went hendaye this year with the family. But That was 6 hrs of fun in Spain, plus easier driving. TAke it all the way

Michael, my comment about apartments was suppose to be a bit tongue-in-cheek, but it didn't come off that way I guess.

Having said that, I do consider renting apartments a big part of the slow travel experience, but you can travel slow staying in hotels, too. To each his own.

I thought that the idea of Slow Travel is that you take your time at a certain destination rather than having to rush around seeing everything at once, and that how you get to your destination is of little importance.

Is it still ready in December? Due to the constuction mistakes with the tunnel.

the tunnel wont be ready in December, big mess in Barcelona nearing the connection to Sants station. The govt has hire additional contractors: best is end of january possibly february 2008.

They do have problems on the Barcelona line - Malaga line will be finished, so they say - they begin testing axtual trains on the line next week so looks like the Malaga line will open on the 23rd
Michael

The tunnel collapse shouldn't affect the line between Madrid and Malaga, that should be open on December 23rd.

You will also be able to travel from Malaga to Cordoba in less tha an hour and from Malaga to Seville in 1 hour and 45 minutes.

There also is a slower train... built in 1928-1929. The suites and cabins were used by the British monarchy to travel from Calais to the Costa Azul. The cabin's Belle Epoque decor is restored and enriched with nowadays details and modern technology. The train is called the Al Andalus Express and the new owners are re-opening the Al Andalus trail as from May 2008.

It is a one week journey in a luxurious palace on wheels - said to be the most luxurious train in the world.

Traveling aboard this palace is a unique and romantic experience. The Al Andalus express visits the highlights of Andalusia: Sevilla-Cordoba-Granada-Bobadilla-Ronda-Cadiz-Jerez