Spain's new bullet train

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7254630.stm


Well, well, well, at last, it's finally up & running, and I say 3 cheers to Renfe for getting it done this year, and especially for those of us who are in business here, it's definitely a big thumbs up from us, as I'm sure that some of us will be making good use of the fantastically reduced travel time between the two big cities (major metropolitan Capitals) along with the ease of getting on to & off of a train is, in comparison to catching an internal flight, which can be a real pain more often than not!!

This is going to bring in a lot of visits by people who can only be in Spain for a short break, and are desperate to see both amazing cities in one visit, spending on average about 3 or more days in each (which in my opinion is the minimum that one needs to really get a proper taste of the main attractions) which will now be easier/faster than before, the other train journey(s) are obviously a pain, I personally cannot take having to sit in a carriage for hours, it's painful and does my head in, but for visitors I'm sure it will be a real thrill to come and take a ride on the new Bullet train from Barca to Madrid, or Madrid to Barca going north, and then perhaps on to pais vasco & San Sebastian & Bilbao, etc.

As for the price, well, I think it sounds pretty reasonable, when compared to the average Taxi ride these days, 180 euros return might sound like a lot, but I'd rather pay that than spend another 8 to 9 hours mostly sitting, and like I said, the flights can often be a real pain, there are often problems & delays, cancellations , etc, and if you need to carry stuff with you, even more so, they say the flight is only 1 hour 15 mins, but that's not all that is involved, it's not only the flight time, but I think this new service should (in theory) work out to be better than catching the flight.

Let's go try it and see!! I've certainly got business things on this year in Barca, Madrid, and will be in both sometime soon.

I hope some visitors will let us know how they got on with their trips between to the Capitals.

Also, don't forget, that Zaragoza is pretty easy to get to these days, with it's handsome new station called "Delicias" - the AVE stops there too!

Saludos

Angelino
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this is good news.

been watchin the tube and pretty much every news show has been doing tests, leaving from the same exact place in madrid and meeting up in the same spot in bcn.

one takes the ave (120 euros normal price) and one the plane (200 euros normal price).

so far, all of the results have been similar, the ave traveller takes about an hour to an hour and a half more to do the trip. the train however seems much more comfortable.

and fyi, the cost is not 180 rt if you go the smart way and buy online at www.renfe.es you can score tix a LOT cheaper.

i just did a test and got a rt for 60.95 Euros.

the full price of 180 will only be paid by those who go buy their tix at the renfe ticket counter.

saludos,
jer...

hey that's great news about the price, I didn't think about where they might have got their price from, and it's seems as you say that the online purchase is by far the best way to go.

I can imagine a whole load of unsuspecting tourists are going to get caught for the whole 180 € though, so renfe will be making a mint out of many visitors when they just roll up at the station without tickets!!

Also, Barcelona Sants (Railway station) is right near the center of town, with many major bus & Metro routes located right there, and of course, as we know, Atocha station Madrid is right in the middle of it all as well, which is rather nice & convenient.

Saludos

Angelino

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My wife's boss flies in from Barcalona each week I'll have to ask her if she will switch to the train. From a businees traveler point of view I'd prefer train, more relaxed and if you need to work, much easier using a laptop on a train than jammed into an airline seat.

Regarding train tixs a few of my students found out after paying full price that discounts were a mere click away. That's good to know as we have family visiting and my recomendation is to visit more than Madrid.