Madrid–Barcelona High-speed Rail Line
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The Madrid–Barcelona high-speed rail line is a
standard-gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), international gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge in Europe, and SGR in East Africa. It is the ...
railway line inaugurated on 20 February 2008. Designed for speeds of and compatibility with neighbouring countries' rail systems, it connects the cities of
Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
and
Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
in 2 hours 30 minutes. In Barcelona the line is connected with the Perpignan–Barcelona high-speed rail line leading into France which connects it to the European high speed network. Trains are operated by the national railway
Renfe Renfe (, ), officially Renfe-Operadora, is Spain's national state-owned railway company. It was created in 2005 upon the split of the former Spanish National Railway Network (RENFE) into the Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias ( ...
under the
AVE is a Latin word, used by the Roman Empire, Romans as a salutation (greeting), salutation and greeting, meaning 'wikt:hail, hail'. It is the singular imperative mood, imperative form of the verb , which meant 'Well-being, to be well'; thus on ...
and
Avlo Avlo (, short for Alta Velocidad Low ''Cost'' literally ''"No Frills High Speed"'' ) is a low-cost high-speed rail service operated by Spanish national rail company Renfe, offering services connecting major Spanish cities such as Madrid, Zaragoza ...
brands, and by private competitors Ouigo España and
Iryo Iryo is the brand of ''Intermodalidad de Levante S.A.'' (ILSA), a private high-speed rail operator in Spain. The company is jointly owned by the Italian state-owned railway company Trenitalia (51%), the Spanish regional airline Air Nostrum (25%), ...
.


First stages

In 2003 construction of the first phase of a new standard gauge line from Madrid to the French border (Madrid–Zaragoza–Lleida) was completed and on 11 October of that year commercial service began. This service also stopped at Guadalajara–Yebes and
Calatayud Calatayud (; 2014 pop. 20,658) is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in the Province of Zaragoza, within Aragón, Spain, lying on the river Jalón (river), Jalón, in the midst of the Sistema Ibérico mountain range. It is the second-largest ...
. The service began running at only . On 19 May 2006, after two years of operation, speed was increased to when the Spanish ASFA signalling system was replaced with level 1 of the new European ETCS/ERTMS system. On 16 October 2006 the trains on this line increased their operating speed to . On 18 December 2006 the
AVE is a Latin word, used by the Roman Empire, Romans as a salutation (greeting), salutation and greeting, meaning 'wikt:hail, hail'. It is the singular imperative mood, imperative form of the verb , which meant 'Well-being, to be well'; thus on ...
started operating to
Camp de Tarragona Camp de Tarragona () is a Natural region, natural and historical region, as well as one of the nine Vegueries of Catalonia, regions (''vegueries'') of Catalonia. It is the third most populated region, with 536,453 inhabitants as of 2022. The re ...
, and on 7 May 2007 the service increased its speed to the maximum allowable for the line, . This puts Tarragona at 30 minutes from Lleida. The extension to Barcelona was delayed various times due to technical problems; the Ministerio de Fomento having originally forecast the AVE's arrival in Barcelona by the end of 2007.


Complete operation

The complete line was opened February 2008. As of 2012, seventeen trains now run every day between the hours of 6 am and 9 pm, covering the distance between the two cities in just 2 hours 30 minutes for the direct trains, and in 3 hours and 10 minutes for those calling at all intermediate stations. Before the high-speed line was built, the journey between the two cities took more than six hours.


Speed

It was originally forecast that, after reaching Barcelona in 2004, the line would run at , the maximum capable speed of the new Siemens AVE trains S103 which have replaced the Talgo Bombardier AVE S102, after the installation of level 2 of the ETCS/ERTMS. But on the AVE's first day of operating at to Tarragona the Minister of Public Works, Magdalena Álvarez, stated that the maximum commercial operating speeds of the AVE on all lines would be . On 11 December 2011, the speed was raised to on a section of the railway (between km 64.4, near Guadalajara, and km 124.4), with plans to further increase the speed to on a sub-section (from km 81.0 to km 105.24) and plans to rapidly extend the speed throughout the Spanish high-speed network. Nevertheless, after almost 5 years of operation with S103 trains running at up to on this section, the speed was decreased back to on 17 August 2016. The tests performed by ADIF had revealed that, at speeds exceeding , the air which the trains were moving underneath was causing some stones of the ballast to rise, hitting the trains and causing damage of various kinds (the Spanish high-speed railways follow the French high-speed rail model of laying the rails on a bed of stones known as ballast, instead of laying the tracks on concrete plates, as is done for high-speed rail in Germany)."El futuro del tren en Léon. El Ave necesita seis meses para llegar a 300 kilómetros por hora"
(The future of train in Leon. The AVE needs 6 months to arrive at 300 km/h), 27 September 2015, ''leonoticias''.
Due to this technical limitation and the substantial increase in costs and power necessary to break the barrier, the AVE in Spain abandoned prospects of operating at speeds over in the short or medium term.


Usage

It was forecast that the AVE would substantially replace air traffic on the Barcelona – Madrid route (in the same way that the
Eurostar Eurostar is an international high-speed rail service in Western Europe, connecting Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. The service is operated by the Eurostar Group which was formed from the merger of Eurostar, ...
has on the London–Paris/London–Brussels routes and France's
TGV The TGV (; , , 'high-speed train') is France's intercity high-speed rail service. With commercial operating speeds of up to on the newer lines, the TGV was conceived at the same period as other technological projects such as the Ariane 1 rocke ...
has on the Paris–Lyon route). Indeed, by the end of 2017, the line had already taken 63% of the traffic, taking most of it from aircraft. A few years before the Madrid–Barcelona route was the world's busiest passenger air route in 2007 with 971 scheduled flights per week (both directions). Similarly more than 80% of travelers between Madrid and Seville use the AVE, with fewer than 20% traveling by air.


Criticism

There was criticism during the construction of the Madrid–Barcelona line. A critical report by the consulting firm
KPMG KPMG is a multinational professional services network, based in London, United Kingdom. As one of the Big Four accounting firms, along with Ernst & Young (EY), Deloitte, and PwC. KPMG is a network of firms in 145 countries with 275,288 emplo ...
, commissioned by ADIF (''Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias'') at the behest of the Ministry for Development (') on 23 June 2004, pointed to a lack of in-depth studies and over-hasty execution of works as the most important reasons for the problems that dogged construction of the AVE line. For example, during the construction of the AVE tunnel near Barcelona, a number of nearby buildings suffered damage from a sinkhole that appeared near a commuter rail station, damaging one of its platforms. The construction committee of Barcelona's famed
Sagrada Família The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família, otherwise known as Sagrada Família, is a church under construction in the Eixample district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It is the largest unfinished Catholic church in the world. Desi ...
church lobbied for a re-routing of the tunnel – it passes within metres of the massive church's foundations. It also passes equally near the
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
-recognized
Casa Milà Casa Milà (, ), popularly known as ''La Pedrera'' (, ; "the stone quarry") in reference to its unconventional rough-hewn appearance, is a ''Modernisme, Modernista'' building in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was the last private residence desi ...
also designed by
Antoni Gaudí Antoni Gaudí i Cornet ( , ; ; 25 June 1852 – 10 June 1926) was a Catalans, Catalan architect and designer from Spain, widely known as the greatest exponent of Catalan ''Modernisme''. Gaudí's works have a style, with most located in Barc ...
. Furthermore, until 2005 both
Siemens Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational technology conglomerate. It is focused on industrial automation, building automation, rail transport and health technology. Siemens is the largest engineering company in Europe, and holds the positi ...
and Talgo/ Bombardier train sets failed to meet scheduled speed targets, although in a test run during the homologation tests of the new S102 trains of
Renfe Renfe (, ), officially Renfe-Operadora, is Spain's national state-owned railway company. It was created in 2005 upon the split of the former Spanish National Railway Network (RENFE) into the Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias ( ...
, a train-set Talgo 350 (AVE S-102) reached a speed of on the night of the 25/26 June 2006, and in July 2006 a
Siemens Velaro Siemens Velaro is a family of high-speed electric multiple unit trains built by Siemens. It is based on the ICE 3 high-speed trains initially co-manufactured by Siemens and Bombardier Transportation, Bombardier for German national rail operator ...
train-set (AVE S-103) reached the highest top speed ever in Spain: . At this time, it was a record for railed vehicles in Spain and a
world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organizatio ...
for ''unmodified'' commercial service trainsets, as the earlier
TGV The TGV (; , , 'high-speed train') is France's intercity high-speed rail service. With commercial operating speeds of up to on the newer lines, the TGV was conceived at the same period as other technological projects such as the Ariane 1 rocke ...
and
ICE Ice is water that is frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 ° C, 32 ° F, or 273.15 K. It occurs naturally on Earth, on other planets, in Oort cloud objects, and as interstellar ice. As a naturally oc ...
records were achieved with specially modified and shortened trainsets, and the 1996
Shinkansen The , colloquially known in English as the bullet train, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan. It was initially built to connect distant Japanese regions with Tokyo, the capital, to aid economic growth and development. Beyond lon ...
record of was using a test (non-commercial) trainset.


Extension to France


Barcelona to Figueres

Originally planned to open in 2009, the extension of some Madrid–Barcelona routes to Figueres–Vilafant railway station via
Girona Girona (; ) is the capital city of the Province of Girona in the autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain, at the confluence of the Ter, Onyar, Galligants, and Güell rivers. The city had an official population of 106,476 in 2024, but the p ...
, opened on 9 January 2013. This made possible upon the completion of the Barcelona–
Figueres Figueres (; ) is the capital city of Alt Empordà county, in the Girona region, Catalonia, Spain. The town is the birthplace of artist Salvador Dalí, and houses the Dalí Theatre and Museum, a large museum designed by Dalí himself which att ...
section of the Perpignan–Barcelona high-speed rail line that connected for the first time the Spanish
AVE is a Latin word, used by the Roman Empire, Romans as a salutation (greeting), salutation and greeting, meaning 'wikt:hail, hail'. It is the singular imperative mood, imperative form of the verb , which meant 'Well-being, to be well'; thus on ...
high-speed network with the French
TGV The TGV (; , , 'high-speed train') is France's intercity high-speed rail service. With commercial operating speeds of up to on the newer lines, the TGV was conceived at the same period as other technological projects such as the Ariane 1 rocke ...
high-speed network. There have been delays in building a four-kilometre tunnel in
Girona Girona (; ) is the capital city of the Province of Girona in the autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain, at the confluence of the Ter, Onyar, Galligants, and Güell rivers. The city had an official population of 106,476 in 2024, but the p ...
, the first phase of which was finished in September 2010, and controversy over the route between Sants and Sagrera stations in Barcelona. there are eight trains a day running from Madrid, connecting at Figueres Vilafant with two TGV services to Paris.


Figueres to Perpignan

This is an international
high-speed rail High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail transport network utilising trains that run significantly faster than those of traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated railway track, tracks. While there is ...
section between France and Spain. The section connects two cities on opposite sides of the border,
Perpignan Perpignan (, , ; ; ) is the prefectures in France, prefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales departments of France, department in Southern France, in the heart of the plain of Roussillon, at the foot of the Pyrenees a few kilometres from the Me ...
in Occitanie, France, and
Figueres Figueres (; ) is the capital city of Alt Empordà county, in the Girona region, Catalonia, Spain. The town is the birthplace of artist Salvador Dalí, and houses the Dalí Theatre and Museum, a large museum designed by Dalí himself which att ...
in
Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...
, Spain. It consists of a railway which crosses the French–Spanish border via the Perthus Tunnel, an tunnel bored under the Perthus Pass. The section is open to high speed trains and freight. Construction was completed in February 2009, although services did not run until a station was built on the line at Figueres. As of March 2015, a daily TGV service connects Paris to Barcelona Sants via Perpignan-Figueres with 2 pairs of trips, plus other connections involving Lyon, Marseille, and Toulouse.


See also

*
High-speed rail in Spain High-speed railways in Spain have been in operation since 1992 when the first line was opened connecting the cities of Madrid, Córdoba, Andalusia, Córdoba and Seville. Unlike the rest of the Iberian gauge, Iberian broad gauge network, the Spani ...
* LGV Méditerranée * TER Languedoc-Roussillon *
List of highest railways in Europe This is a list of highest passenger railways in operation in Europe. It includes only non-cable railways whose culminating point is over 1,200 metres above sea level. Most of them are located in the Alps, where two railways, the Jungfrau and Gorn ...


References


Notes


Further reading

*


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Madrid-Barcelona High-Speed Rail Line Railway lines opened in 2008 Railway lines in Catalonia Standard-gauge railways in Spain Transport in Alt Empordà Rail transport in Barcelona Transport in Figueres Transport in Girona Transport in Lleida Rail transport in Madrid Transport in Tarragonès 2008 establishments in Spain 25 kV AC railway electrification