Editing Transport in Spain (section)

== Rail transport and AVE transport ==
{{Main|Rail transport in Spain}}
[[File:High speed and mixed high-speed services via conventional lines in Spain.svg|thumb|upright=1.35|High speed network in Spain as of December 2024]]
[[Image:Spain-Railways.png|thumb|right|Spanish Railways network]]
[[File:MadridCAF1969.jpg|thumb|right|A PCC tram build by MMC (Material Móvil y Construcciones) in Madrid in 1969, near Atocha Station.]]
Spanish railways [[History of rail transport in Spain|date from 1848]]. The total route length in 2017 was 15,333&nbsp;km, of which 9,699&nbsp;km were electrified.<ref>{{Cite web|date=21 April 2021|title=The World Factbook - Europe - Spain|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/spain/|access-date=27 April 2021|website=www.cia.gov}}</ref> Four different [[track gauge]]s are used in Spain.

{{Main|Track gauge in Spain}}

*''[[Iberian gauge]]'' ({{RailGauge|1668mm}}): 11,333&nbsp;km (6,538&nbsp;km electrified at 3 kV DC)
*''[[Standard gauge]]'' ({{RailGauge|1435mm}}): 2,571&nbsp;km (all electrified at [[25 kV AC]])
*''[[narrow gauge railways|Narrow gauge]]'' ({{RailGauge|1000mm}}): 1,207&nbsp;km (400&nbsp;km electrified)
*''[[narrow gauge railways|Narrow gauge]]'' ({{RailGauge|914mm}}): 28&nbsp;km (all electrified)

Most railways are operated by [[Renfe]]; [[narrow gauge railways|narrow gauge]] lines are operated by [[Ferrocarriles Españoles de Vía Estrecha|FEVE]] and other carriers in individual [[autonomous communities]]. It is proposed to build or convert more [[standard gauge]] lines, including some dual gauging of [[iberian gauge|broad gauge]] lines, especially where these lines link to adjacent countries.

A high-speed rail line ([[Alta Velocidad Española|AVE]]) between [[Madrid]] and [[Seville]] was completed in 1992. In 2003, high-speed service was inaugurated on a new line from [[Madrid]] to [[Lleida]] and extended to [[Barcelona]] in 2008. The same year, lines from [[Madrid]] to [[Valladolid]] and from [[Córdoba, Spain|Córdoba]] to [[Málaga]] were inaugurated. In 2010, AVE line [[Madrid]]-[[Cuenca, Spain|Cuenca]]-[[Valencia]] was inaugurated.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Rosenthal|first1=Elisabeth|title=High-Speed Rail Gains Traction in Spain|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/16/science/earth/16train.html|access-date=24 December 2017|newspaper=The New York Times|date=15 March 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The advent of high-speed trains in Spain|url=http://www.adifaltavelocidad.es/en_US/infraestructuras/lineas_de_alta_velocidad/madrid_sevilla/historia_madrid-sevilla.shtml|website=Adif Alta Velocidad|access-date=24 December 2017}}</ref>

===Cities with metro/light rail systems===
{{See also|Trams in Europe}}

[[Image:Madrid - Estación Concha Espina - 20060910.jpg|thumb|right|Madrid Metro]]
[[Image:Ferrocarril_urbano_en_España.svg|thumb|right|Metro (red) and tram (green) systems in Spain.]]
* [[Alicante]] - [[Alicante Tram]]
* [[Barcelona]] - [[Barcelona Metro]] and [[Trams in Barcelona|Tram]]
* [[Bilbao]] - [[Bilbao metro]] and [[Bilbao tram]] ([[Euskotren Tranbia]])
*[[Castellón de la Plana|Castellon]] - ''[[Trolleybus]]''
* [[A Coruña]] - ''under construction''
* [[Granada]] - [[Granada Metro]]
* [[Jaén, Spain|Jaén]] - [[Jaén Tram]] - ''completed but not operated''
* [[Madrid]] - [[Madrid Metro]]
* [[Málaga]] - [[Málaga Metro]]
* [[Murcia]] - [[Murcia tram]]
* [[Palma, Majorca|Palma]] - [[Palma Metro]]
* [[Parla]] - [[Parla Tram]]
* [[Santa Cruz de Tenerife]] - [[Tenerife Tram]]
* [[Seville]] - [[Seville Metro]] and [[MetroCentro (Seville)|MetroCentro]]
* [[Valencia (city in Spain)|Valencia]] - [[Metrovalencia]]
* [[Vélez-Málaga]] - [[Vélez-Málaga Tram]] - ''ceased operations''
* [[Vitoria-Gasteiz]] - [[Vitoria-Gasteiz tram]] ([[Euskotren Tranbia]])
* [[Zaragoza]] - [[Zaragoza tram|Zaragoza Tram]]

=== Railway links with adjacent countries ===

* {{flagicon|Andorra}} [[Transport in Andorra|Andorra]] – no (Andorra has no railways)
* {{flagicon|France}} [[Transportation in France|France]] – yes – [[break-of-gauge]] ({{RailGauge|1668mm}})/({{RailGauge|1000mm}})/({{RailGauge|1435mm}}) (new high-speed line without any break-of-gauge)
* {{flagicon|Portugal}} [[Transportation in Portugal|Portugal]] – yes, same gauge
* {{flagicon|Morocco}} [[Transport in Morocco|Morocco]] – no – proposed undersea tunnel. [[break-of-gauge]] ({{RailGauge|1668mm}})/({{RailGauge|1435mm}})
* {{flagicon|Gibraltar}} [[Transport in Gibraltar|Gibraltar]] – no (Gibraltar has no railways)

==== Tunnel across the Strait of Gibraltar ====
{{Main|Gibraltar Tunnel}}
[[File:0035-Sóller_Marktplatz.JPG|thumb|right|250px|Historical [[tram]].]]

In December 2003, Morocco and Spain agreed to explore the construction of an undersea rail tunnel across the [[Strait of Gibraltar]], to connect their rail systems.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3317149.stm|title=Europe-Africa rail tunnel agreed|date=14 December 2003|via=news.bbc.co.uk}}</ref>

=== High-speed rail ===
{{Main|AVE}}
[[AVE|Alta Velocidad Española]] (AVE) is a [[high-speed rail]] service in Spain operated by [[Renfe]], the Spanish national railway company, at speeds of up to 330&nbsp;km/h (205&nbsp;mph). The name is literally translated from Spanish "Alta Velocidad Española" (Spanish High Speed), but its initials are also a play on the word ''ave'', meaning "bird". {{As of|2024|July}}, the Spanish high-speed rail network is the longest HSR network in Europe with {{convert|3,966|km|mi|abbr=on}}<ref name="ADIF">{{cite web|url=https://www.adifaltavelocidad.es/red-ferroviaria/red-de-alta-velocidad|title=''Red de Alta Velocidad''|publisher=ADIF |access-date=10 July 2024}}</ref> and the [[List of high-speed railway lines|second longest in the world]], after China's.

AVE trains run on a network of dedicated high-speed rail track owned and managed by [[Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias|Adif]]. The first line was opened in 1992, connecting the cities of Madrid, Córdoba, and Seville. Unlike the rest of the Spanish broad-gauge network, the AVE uses standard gauge tracks, permitting direct connections outside Spain. Some TGV-derived trains do run on the broad-gauge network at slower speeds, and these are branded separately as Euromed.{{cn|date=January 2024}}

On the line from Madrid to Seville, the service guarantees arrival within five minutes of the advertised time, and offers a full refund if the train is delayed further, although only 0.16% of trains have been so. In this regard, the punctuality of the AVE is exceptional compared to other non-long-distance Renfe services. On other AVE lines, this punctuality promise is more lax (15 minutes on the Barcelona line). A possible reason for this is that AVE services slow down to 200&nbsp;km/h for the Sierra Morena section of the journey because of the tight curves and 250&nbsp;km/h for the Córdoba-Seville section, possibly on account of medium-speed services running on the line, meaning that they have an easy means of recovering lost time if held up earlier in the journey.{{cn|date=January 2024}}

In 2020, access to the Spanish high-speed network was liberalised, and the AVE has since been joined by private competitors [[Ouigo España]] and [[Iryo]].

The AVE connects the following cities:

* Madrid – Valencia
* Barcelona – Madrid
* Seville – Madrid
* Ciudad Real – Madrid
* Tarragona – Madrid
* Valladolid – Madrid
* Madrid – Toledo
* Madrid – Cordoba
* Madrid – Murcia
Since the high-speed route between Barcelona to Madrid was launched in 2008, 75% of travelers now choose the train over the airplane, with flight passengers accounting for 25% of travelers.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-02-20 |title=Train three times as popular as plane in Barcelona-Madrid route as high-speed rail turns 15 |url=https://www.catalannews.com/business/item/train-three-times-as-popular-as-plane-in-barcelona-madrid-route-as-high-speed-rail-turns-15 |access-date=2023-02-22 |website=www.catalannews.com |language=en}}</ref>