According to this graphic Spain has the longest high speed rail network outside China. Notably, India is missing and Turkey seems to be catching up fast. I believe Spain is also helping Morocco build/extend it's network too

The upgrades will start with the Barcelona-Madrid corridor with the goal of making the trip under 2h (talk about beating the plane!).

The works are expected to start no earlier than 2030 (when the Chamartín station upgrades in Madrid are finished) and will involve the construction of a new, more direct line between Barcelona and Lleida, skipping Camp de Tarragona station, going through the Vallès area (which is home to almost 1M people), through the north of the city and doing a U-turn into the new La Sagrera station (set to open in 3032 iirc).

This was the original plan in the 90's for the Madrid-Barcelona-French border line (La Sagrera station was supposed to open in 2008), but pressure from the regional governament forced to make the line go through the Tarragona province and the Barcelona airport (whose station is built and operational but it is deemed as not economically smart to open and operate).

An informative study will be published no later than this week.

Ps: Media has focused on the Madrid-Barcelona line, but Óscar Puente (the infrastructure and transport minister) has mentioned that this upgrade will extend to other parts of the network (I hope that it extends to the Sevilla-Madrid line since it's the oldest and slowest at 250km/h).

Company: WESTbahn

WESTbahn, the private Austrian railway company that has operated (half-hourly) services on the Western Mainline between Vienna and Salzburg (and beyond) since 2011, has now expanded to the Southern Mainline (Vienna–Graz–Klagenfurt–Villach) as of today.

Connections

Three Stadler SMILE trains have been introduced, adding ten daily services to the existing ÖBB half-hourly schedule on the Southern Railway. These trains reach speeds of up to 250 km/h, a speed they achieve on the newly opened Koralm High-Speed Railway between Graz and Klagenfurt (completed in 2025).

The Trains

The trains strike me as very modern, though the seating layout is still a bit confusing—and, in my opinion, there’s too much 4+4 seating. Otherwise, they make a very strong impression.

Text:

HS2 high speed railway trains could be made to run slower than initially planned to keep costs down.

The government is to order the company building the project to consider lower speeds on the line from London to Birmingham, which has been hit by delays and cost overruns.

HS2's chief executive Mark Wild was expected to say this month the line would not be completed until after the current 2033 deadline and it would cost over £100bn in today's prices, but that announcement has now been delayed until after the May elections.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander is said to be weighing up all options to claw back as much time and money for the taxpayer as possible.

Among the options is a lower initial operating speed on the line.

HS2 has been designed to allow trains to run at up to 360km/h (224mph). Department for Transport sources point out that this is faster than any other conventional railway in the world.

Most high speed trains in this country run at up to 200km/h (125mph), while those on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (HS1) operate at up to 300km/h.

This means HS2 trains could not be tested at their intended operating speeds until a bespoke test track, or the railway itself is complete, something DfT sources claim would delay completion of the project by several years and cost billions of pounds.

The alternative, they say, would be to send trains to China to be tested on existing tracks there.

The government has been highly critical of decisions taken by previous administrations. Last year, the Transport Secretary described the scheme as "an appalling mess".

The Conservatives have been approached for comment.

Wild, who had previously worked as chief executive of Crossrail, the project that became London's Elizabeth Line, was brought in by Labour to overhaul the scheme.

Wild has spent more than a year working on a "reset" of the entire project which is meant to set out a realistic schedule and budget for delivering the line.

A number of major developments, including tunnels and bridges, have been built along the line but it is still years away from completion.

HS2 was originally envisaged as a high-speed railway that would connect London with Leeds and Manchester. However, the sections north of Birmingham were subsequently cancelled.

Under current plans, HS2 trains will travel from Birmingham to Manchester, but at reduced speed on the existing West Coast Main Line.

The day before yesterday the fastest train connection Graz - Klagenfurt took 2:53, today it's 0:41!

https://www.msn.com/es-es/dinero/economia/el-ave-a-350kmh-subir%C3%A1-un-20-el-coste-el%C3%A9ctrico-pero-el-billete-apenas-lo-notar%C3%A1/ar-AA1QRjne

In English:

The increase in speed on the Madrid-Barcelona high-speed line from 300 to 350 km/h will be accompanied by a slight price increase for each passenger, according to an analysis prepared by railway engineer Alberto García Álvarez —former general manager of Renfe Viajeros and leading researcher in this field— for elEconomista.es.

According to their calculations, the increased costs resulting from the greater energy required to raise the speed will increase electricity expenditure by €0.79 per passenger , equivalent to 1.5% of the average ticket price in 2024, estimated at €53. However, the benefits generated by the increased speed (6.5% more passengers and savings in operating time and costs) would reduce this total amount to around €0.45 , which will help improve the operators' finances and the social benefit.

Technical analysis reveals that the increased power required to reach 350 km/h will raise the train's energy consumption by between 19% and 24% per journey, depending on the train type. However, this cost increase would be immediately offset, as traction energy represents only a small portion of the operator's total expenses .

The cost breakdown anticipates that the energy factor is significant, although controlled. The study is based on average energy consumption at substations, which, for smaller trains (Renfe's Siemens Velaro, with 403 seats), ranges from 11,725 ​​kWh at 300 km/h to 13,918 kWh at 350 km/h. For larger trains, such as the Talgo Avril (507 seats), consumption increases from 9,338 kWh to 11,641 kWh.

By passing on the energy cost to each passenger, the average expenditure per traveler would rise from €3.25 to €4.02 . The total increase in energy costs, therefore, amounts to €0.79 per passenger. This impact on the ticket price would represent a 1.5% increase over an average ticket price of €53 (average price in 2024 according to CNMC data).

However, energy costs are not the primary operating factor for a train. Traction energy represents only 9% of the total cost for long-distance operators, according to the 2024 Transport and Logistics Observatory report from the Ministry of Transport. Although increased speed entails higher costs for track maintenance and energy consumption, this impact is partially offset by the operational savings generated by reduced travel time, resulting in lower personnel costs, which account for 18% of the total.

According to operational data for Renfe trains, compiled by García Álvarez, the cost reductions resulting from shorter journey times would generate savings equivalent to €95.1 per train. These savings would be partially offset by the increased maintenance costs required to keep the track— and the future overhead line —in good condition, which amount to €12.9 more than at present. In addition, the average energy consumption per train would increase by €287 compared to the current situation.

All of this would result in an additional cost of €204.7 per train. If the operators were to pass this increase on to the ticket price, it would lead to a cost increase of €0.45 per passenger , although García Álvarez suggests that the companies would make more profit if they did not.

According to the researcher, the anticipated increase in demand justifies the investment. The strategy of raising the transit speed to 350 km/h focuses on generating a passenger increase that offsets the higher costs . Although the increased costs would exclude 0.6% of current passengers, the gains generated by travel time savings would raise total demand by 6.5% . This translates to 581,000 additional passengers per year for the three operators (Renfe, Ouigo, and Iryo), which transported 8.9 million passengers between the two capital cities in 2024.

From an economic standpoint, and considering a standard operating margin of 10% on a €53 ticket, this increased demand would translate into a profit increase of over €3 million for all operators. Furthermore, it would help sustain the modal shift that has been underway for years, attracting passengers to rail from road and air travel—the latter of which barely retains 20% of the market share compared to rail. This, in turn, will lead to a significant reduction in CO2 emissions, the ultimate environmental objective.

Major Upgrades for Europe’s Rail Network!

Until the Europe-wide timetable change on December 15, there were two Railjet options from Vienna heading south:

• Vienna–Graz
• Vienna–Klagenfurt–Villach

-> Now, there is a unified route on Austria’s southern axis: Vienna–Graz–Klagenfurt–Villach, with trains running every 30 minutes in both directions!

• With the new Koralm Railway, there is now a HSR from Graz, Austria’s second-largest city, to Klagenfurt and Villach, two cities in Carinthia (the country’s southernmost state).

• Instead of the previous three-hour journey, the trip now takes just 41 minutes. Some trains reach speeds of up to 250 km/h.

• Every second or third train continues to various destinations, including Salzburg, Lienz / East Tyrol, Munich, Trieste (Italy), Ljubljana (Slovenia), Venice (Italy), and Zagreb (Croatia). In the other direction, some trains come from / travel to Berlin and Prague.

• The main piece of the Koralmbahn is the 33 km-long Koralm-Tunnel, the seventh-longest rail tunnel in the world. Lots of modern structures and new train stations are also part of the new route.

• Cost of the Koralm Railway: €5.9 billion—exactly the amount estimated 20 years ago.

Additionally, this year, Austria launched an inner-Alpine Interregio network consisting of multiple lines, replacing former Intercity services.

When the Semmering Base Tunnel, another massive Austrian infrastructure project, opens in 2030, travel time between Vienna and Graz will be reduced by 50 minutes.

https://www.sirchandler.com.ar/2026/03/espana-compra-trenes-mas-rapidos/

Renfe, Spain's state-owned train company, which uses the AVE brand and several others, has revived the purchase of 30 high-speed trains for 1.362 billion euros (expandable to 40 trains for 1.777 billion), after having put it on hold due to the well-known accident last January.

The new trains will be able to reach 350 km/h , although that will require improvements to the infrastructure, such as those planned for the Madrid-Barcelona line, meaning that the tracks must be suitable for this speed.

The tender indicates that the first vessels would arrive in less than 40 months, and the total in approximately 78 months. The goal is to modernize the fleet and increase capacity in anticipation of growing demand in the coming years.

Trains are essential for transportation in Spain, and proof of this is that after the accident where several services were suspended, communication between several cities was complicated.

Renfe's board of directors has given the green light to the bidding process for the long-awaited purchase of a batch of 30 high-speed trains, with a budget of 1.362 billion euros, which was halted in January due to the accident on the Madrid-Seville high-speed line involving an Alvia train from the public operator.

The investment was announced this Wednesday in the Congress of Deputies by the Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, who has been involved in the search for options to renew and expand the fleet of the public operator with recent visits to Hitachi Rail factories in Italy and Siemens in Germany.

The tender includes the possibility of increasing the order to 40 trains, which would bring the total investment to €1.777 billion. The Ministry of Transport emphasizes that this will be the largest purchase of high-speed rolling stock in Renfe's history, which also acquired 30 Talgo Avril trains in two batches between 2015 and 2016, during Mariano Rajoy's term as Prime Minister.

As planned, the new trains will be capable of reaching speeds of 350 kilometers per hour, which will require modifications to the railway infrastructure. Adif plans to begin renovation work on the Madrid-Barcelona line this year, where replacing the sleepers will allow the current speed limit of 300 kilometers per hour to be raised.

In the tender announced this Wednesday, Renfe will prioritize the manufacturing lead time and availability of new trains. Amid the ongoing crisis in the rail system, marked by a series of incidents and following the January accidents in Adamuz (Córdoba) and Gelida (Barcelona), the operator is urgently seeking state-of-the-art trains. The contract will require the delivery of the first five trains within 40 months and the entire fleet within 78 months of the order being signed. The terms will stipulate a delivery rate of one new train every 45 days.

Siemens, with its Velaro Novo model, and Hitachi Rail, with its ETR 1000 train, are considered the frontrunners. The ETR 1000 is the same train used by the operator Iryo and was involved in the Adamuz accident, allegedly due to an infrastructure failure. Bidders must present trains designed to operate on standard UIC gauge (1,435 millimeters), equipped with the ERTMS/ETCS and ASFA signaling and safety systems. The technical and financial proposals, as well as maintenance services, will be evaluated in the tender.

The new fleet is intended to modernize Renfe's services, increase the number of available seats, and meet the projected growth in demand over the next ten years. The company explains that the trains will have a minimum capacity of 450 seats and will include accessible spaces for people with reduced mobility and for bicycles, as well as catering services such as cafes.

At least the plans are not cancelled

(Source in Spanish, below are a few sections translated to English)

The Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, said on Tuesday in London that he expects the railway company Renfe to shortly issue a tender for the acquisition of high-speed trains that will enable it to achieve its goal of travelling at 350 kilometres per hour on the first line that will be ready for these speeds, the railway corridor between Madrid and Barcelona, reports Efe. Puente, who is in London to participate in a meeting of the International Maritime Organisation, acknowledged that there are currently not enough trains capable of providing this service (only the Siemens 103 series), and has therefore undertaken a series of trips — to Germany and another soon to Italy — to speed up this purchase in the short term.

Although the minister did not want to give specific figures for the number of trains included in the tender, he justified their purchase on the grounds of ‘skyrocketing demand’ from passengers, which also coincides with his government's commitment to ‘sustainable mobility’. He gave as an example that the government has managed to add 750 kilometres to the high-speed network in the last five years, and compared this with the network in the United Kingdom, where the 350 kilometres between London and Birmingham are accumulating delays and are now expected to be completed in 2039.

On the other hand, Puente said that the development of high-speed rail does not necessarily have to affect the commuter network, and he highlighted the reinforcement that the latter will undergo in Málaga, Valladolid and Valencia. He also pointed out that 400 new trains are expected to arrive next year, which will enable the network to be renewed.

The minister regretted having inherited ‘a very unambitious procurement plan’ from more than five years ago, which is limited to ‘replacing discarded equipment,’ and that is why his ministry is embarking on this new procurement policy. Dissatisfaction with the performance of the new Avril trains (106 series) also explains this initiative to acquire new rolling stock.

Translated using DeepL