The signal turns to red

摘要

ATOCHA STATION in Madrid is a daily marvel. From its platforms a phalanx of sleek white high-speed trains, known as aves, streak across Spain. Punctual and comfortable, they have slashed journey times in a large and mountainous country long notorious for poor transport. For Spaniards, they are an icon of modernity. But many are not worth the money spent on them, says a new report by the independent fiscal authority (AIREF from its Spanish initials). Over the past three decades Spain has poured money into transport infrastructure, including motorways and airports as well as AVES. It now has 3,086km (1,929 miles) of high-speed rail lines (over 250km per hour), second only to China. Passenger numbers have almost doubled in the past decade, as the aves have grabbed business from domestic flights. Even so, per kilometre of track, there are less than a third as many as in France.