Spain will move forward with a renovation of its high-speed rail line between Madrid and Barcelona, aiming to reduce the journey to under two hours, Transport Minister Óscar Puente said on Monday. The upgrade would allow trains to reach 350 km/h, a speed currently only achieved in China.
The government will launch a €2.3 million feasibility study to explore how to reach the new target. Options include improving access to stations, adding new rail sections to avoid congestion, and using a redesigned train model developed by Adif that improves aerodynamics and reduces track damage.
A push to stay ahead in Europe's high-speed market
Spain already has the largest high-speed network in the European Union, with more than 4,000 km of lines in operation. The Madrid-Barcelona corridor alone carries around 15 million passengers each year, and demand keeps rising as high-speed travel surpasses pre-pandemic levels.
Once construction begins, renovations are expected to take around three years. The ministry did not specify when feasibility studies will conclude, but Puente said the goal is to keep Spain ahead as other countries (such as Britain) struggle to advance their own high-speed projects.
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