Spain's High-Speed Train Revolution. The Economist, February 5, 2009. "Early morning at Barcelona's railway station and the platform crowd looks smarter than it would have done a year ago. But these are not ordinary weekday commuters. They are besuited businessmen heading for Madrid, almost 500km (310 miles) away. A sleek new high-speed AVE train will whisk them to the capital at speeds of up to 300kmph in plenty of time for their morning meetings. The new passengers reflect a revolution in Spanish travel. Domestic airlines have lost a fifth of their passengers in the space of a year. And long-distance trains have gained almost a third. This shift is the consequence of an ambitious programme for high-speed rail. The streamlined AVE trains, with their sleek corridors, work tables and spectacular views, are stealing the show. Those used to the tedious taxi rides, security checks and crowded shuttle flights traditionally endured by Spanish businessmen will not be surprised. The opening of the Barcelona-Madrid line a year ago marked the beginning of the end of airlines' dominance… Spain's high-speed network is still in its infancy. Another 9,000km of lines are planned over the next decade. The aim is to create Europe's most extensive high-speed network… Carbon emissions per passenger are one-sixth as big as for air travellers. High-speed lines also free up existing railways for cargo, keeping lorries off roads."
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